Thursday, October 26, 2006

More to 'tying the knot' than you think!

They say...marriages are made in heaven. True. But lets just rephrase that a little to read,not marriages, just the 'couples' are ,made in heaven. Now i can suddenly visualise our dear God sitting and making 'poruthams' between a girl and a guy, something that josiars do again, just incase ;-). Now that we're settled on just 'couples' are made in heaven, shall we discuss where marriages are made? Marriages...are made in huge, noisy, decorated,over-crowded kalyana mandapams, or marriage halls should we say, where one can easily get lost, or easily get caught in the claws of some good ol' maami who wants to know your age for some devious reason! And point to be noted - the maami will always hold your wrist! Maybe because she knows you're waiting to run away in the first OPPORTUNE MOMENT (now do you know where i got that from!) hmmm, wicked! Oh just ignore me! I have attended 2 marriages, 2 days in a row! One was a family friend's, and i knew i had to go, but the second...believe it or not, was my grand-dad's sister's son's wife's elder sister's daughter's marriage! I am definitely not kidding you! Let me be truthful, i go there for the food! And imagine my plight when both kalyanams had the SAME Goddam menu! SAME STUFF! How unfortunate? I was starting to hope i had paati's rasam sadam for dinner! Only the dessert was different, and well, dessert is never my area, so *sad*! There are some things that i just HAVE to point out about these weddings... aah, am loving this! A typical tamil, brahmin marriage (reception) will have the following features, without fail :

1.A loooong queue waiting to congratulate the bride and groom. SO long that you would prefer the queue at sathyam cinemas because there, atleast you get to watch a movie after the queue! Here, you'll go and say congratulations, and neither the bride nor the groom will recognise you, but they'll be all super sweet and say thanks so much for making it, and then we, the extremely glad people, will have a teeth show for the flashes!Point to be noted - the mamas and maamis standing infront of you in the queue will invariably HUG their gifts like someone's waiting to grab it and present it as their gift! And i always feel like saying "Maami, pattu podavai kasangida pordhu, paathu!"(your silk saree is going to get ruffled up!)

2.Music. Or thats what its called most of the time. It generally means having this famous, or not-so-famous carnatic vocalist singing her/his throat off, when she/he is nothing but IGNORED. All you have is a few thathas or mamas sitting in the first row and pretending to listen, but promptly clapping after every song gets over. WHY do they have to put themselves through this? OR you have something called a LIGHT music 'orchestra' that makes such heavy music that the vibration seems to penetrate right to your stomach and make you feel like you could do with a puke! Their base gets inside you! Its just too loud for the hall...oh damn. It doesn't matter if you are sitting 100 miles from the speaker, it just reverberates! And it feels like you're walking into a one way street called deafness!

3.FOOD. THE issue! People like my thatha always aim for the 1st 'pandhi' and wont leave without drinking 2 payasams! And he's very proud of it :D But well, the trend seems to be changing. Receptions no longer have "yellai sapadu" (on banana leaves) , with the traditional rice with one karandi of ghee, and the payasam and vadai. Thats just for lunch! Receptions have what they call BUFFET (read:painful system where you don't know whether to concentrate on putting the food into your mouth without embarassing yourself, or holding the plate without pouring its contents onto the pattu saree of the aunty almost sticking to you in the crowd!"!) With north indian cuisine, chaat, bandha dessert. Yesterday for instance, the dessert was grand. There was ras malai, srikhand, carrot halwa, and vanilla icecream with chocolate sauce optional! What the hell is one expected to eat! I settled for the first and the last :D And you'll definitely have the famous line - "Shaaptela mama?"!caution - if there's ever a paneer sabzi on the menu, please be satisfied with eating the gravy, because the paneer cubes, tempting though they may look, are either never cooked, or too hard to bite and so unfair on my braced teeth! Am i a foodie or what! sapaduraami!

I could go on forever...with the pattu podavais and jewellery and the 'Oh nee avarodu ponna, ivaroda pethiyaa's and the 'divya vaa idhu? ipdi valandhutaale!"s and meeting up with some distant people you've never heard of, and mind you, it will never ever be some smart looking chap that you can have a time pass conversation with! The latest trends in weddings - youngsters who are forced to attend - Laugh at the cellphone, message till their fingers fall out, seem BUSY! Maybe i shouldn't be talking about that? I was doing exactly that! No other choice you see! and trend 2 is with the brides... don't know what happened to doing some cool hairstyles...Its just hair let lose, falling down. And its almost always artificially straightened. Come on brides! Do something different ;-) And... my paati's sly questions when one is getting dressed for the ocassion are not to be missed...what fuss she makes on jewellery! The more the fuss, the more i feel like not wearing the stuff...lol. Her line - "oru kalyanathuku pona, naalu per varuva ma, idhalaam potukanom!" My line -"Paati, yenaka kalyanam?" She - "Solardhu kelu ma!" So much for being a girl!!

Now this doesn't mean that when you invite me for your wedding, i will whine like this before coming. NO. Attending weddings of people you know personally is a very nice experience...it makes me happy. It makes me so happy, i can never explain. When one of my relatives got married, i almost cried when the thaali was being tied...its such a moment u know...:) and suddenly, i understood why mothers and fathers cry after that moment. Its such a bittersweet moment. Its lovely.

So i'd like to end by saying, am looking forward to having a good time at your wedding ;-)and i'll definitely do a post on it! :D

PS: for those of you who had a prob with the tamil lines, pl ask! Just din have the patience to translate, am sorry... :) (i think thats only for nik!)

Yours "why don't one of you just get married?"ly
Signing off...

Friday, October 20, 2006

WEird as WEird can get...(updated)

UPDATE oct 23rd, 2006 - Happy Birthday dear bloggg!!!! :D Or is it happy anniversary? ;-) Whichever it is, its been one year since i started putting down episodes from my mind, opinions on various issues, crazy rants, various feelings etc into this blog...and its been a wonderful experience. A big thankyou goes out to all those people who read this blog, and leave their comments, and make me feel like continuing this activity...make it worthwhile. Thankyou so much, love you all and God bless!! I hope you have as much fun reading my posts, as i have writing them. Looking forward to continuing this for a very very long time :D

I have been tagged by shruti to write 6 weird things about myself. Considering i am such a crazy person, this should not have been so difficult for me...but only when I started thinking did i realise how difficult it is! So...here's what i think is weird about myself.

1. I talk to inanimate objects :D And my football tops the list! I can think of so many coversations i have had with my football after kicking it left and right! Once i even said "Am sorry i impart so much pain unto you...but i love you so much!" I know i must be out of my wits to be publicizing this...but hell! I remember that convo very well! Other things i talk to regularly include one of my soft toys, stars, well, i better not go further into this! For the love of my own image!

2. Since we're on the topic... I fabricate conversations out of thin air! Between myself, and anyone! And those conversations can get pretty long, and interesting too! :) And trust me, they're carried out with so much emotion and action... its a monoact! yes,I am crazy!

3.I know i'm a girl...;-) ok, sad way to start. But yes, when i change my earrings, its quite an 'issue' in class! "Divya, yenna visesham? Earrings change pannite?" yes, i don't ever bother...with earrings, or any other accessories! I change my earrings maybe twice a year, not more! And i've been told by so many people that i should style my hair or do something worthwhile with it... but...No, it remains. Unleveled, straight with curly ends. Don't know if it'll ever happen! Guess am not too much of a girl eh? ;-)

4.When i fall in love with a song, i go to the extent of literally 'mugging up' the lyrics from wherever, and listening to the song non stop! No other song for days...and sing the song also non stop! I know i've mentioned this before...yes, my bench mate in class definitely has a tough time!

5.I like taking photographs of shadows. Some of you have seen them ;-) I find it immensely interesting...sort of like the blackness of a shadow has some character that a normal picture doesn't have. And thats why, however late i am for college early in the morning, i just don't realise it when i am looking at my own shadow on the wall, cast by the rising sun...its a black and yellow combination that just drives me towards the camera...and just makes my morning!

6. Aah...the last! Hmmm... I don't need alcohol to get drunk! I keep saying i can get high on air! My mom used to think that something happens to me after 11.30pm...she'll tell my cousin or my bro "paithiyam pudichurthu da!" (she's gone mad) and i do the craziest things when am in that 'phase'...chuck pillows at my mom, just keep laughing for everything, opening my bro's eyes with my index finger and thumb when he's just drifting into slumber land and probably even get slapped for that!, keep talking continuosly and not allowing my cousin to sleep...and the likes :)

So there goes...weirdo divya for you!

And... The noise here is tearing my ear drums! But, its the festive season, its the biggest festival of the year...its smiles, and happiness,and ghee sweets, and new clothes, and drowsy head-baths at 5 in the morning (or slightly later, considering me!)...HAPPY DIWALI!!

Comments secn - Tell me what you think is weird abt me, please!

Yours "does anyone get crazier?"ly
Signing off....

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Perspective

I tried playing football in the moonlight. Only to realise the moon's more visible to kick, than the football :) ok, bad one...ofcourse, considering i'm quite human, my eyes required some assistance to see this round white mass that was rolling around the place, playing hide and seek with my feet...or is it catch and catch? ok, whichever. And so, the legs that are mine carried the rest of me, unwillingly, to the switchboard, where my fingers pressed some white switches, and my football ground got its flood lights:D My feet were plugged into sneakers, without socks :) yuck? Thats the truth.

The football's time had come. It was going to get punished for running away and hiding in the dark. It dreaded this moment, and was crouching under the grey,cement bench, hugging the
dirtiest corner that had an empty packet of diwali fire crackers. It was not to be. The sneakered-feet (yay anu!) stealthily got closer and closer to it...and slowly rolled it into the limelight! ;-) It was gently moved forward and placed at THE spot. Aww, why did it have to be the same spot? The football knew what was coming next, but as always, wondered how long it'd be before the wall would come crashing into its small round structure.ONE...TWO...THREE...and baaaasssshhhh!!!! *sigh* And so the football said, 'no matter, i'll allow the wall to bash me, but i'll go back like the boomerang and strike those barbaric feet, suddenly sneakered!'

Her time had come. The lights were switched on, and playing the game gave her some sort of
solace she couldn't derive from other things, other people. Her focus was on the ball, and only the ball, her mind veiled from everything else the world wanted to show her, from anyone who tried a chance to haunt her thoughts. She gazed at the few stars, and waited for the hint of a breeze, but when none came, she started to search...for her article of solace. It had rolled over to the small gap under the cement bench, which had become the ultimate dumping ground for any box, fire cracker or food, that the neighbour next door had done a great deal of contribution to. She allowed her feet to roll out the dirty, white football and lead it to her shooting point. This was the moment she loved, gathering all her energy and concentrating it on her right foot. She took the shot, with the passion of a footballer, and waited for the ball to promptly come back with as much force as it could muster.

The football was in rage.The shot landed on it harder than last time! It struck the white wall with so much force that it went slightly off target. It missed the feet, got the head. It was ok, it would strike the enemy and teach her a lesson! But to its shock, the enemy reacted so quickly, it hardly had time to chose the spot...and this time, it went flying onto the glass pieces at the end of the ground. OUCH! The next time the feet touched its cover, there was a difference...and Lo! it realised, old times are back!

She thought it was coming right back to her forehead. Perfect for a header...and she was moving, her eyes moving from up to down, tracing the trajectory of the ball. But something pricked her foot and she turned her head...and the ball hit the left side of her head and flew off in the wrong direction! It was her shoe...decided to give her a bite. She thought of how she put them on a while back without socks, and contemplated the possibilities of a bite, but didn't bother. She unlaced them, got them off her feet and tossed them away. It was all back to normal...playing barefoot! She thought of her mom warning her about her feet getting hard and black, and the need to apply some KRACK cream soon ;-) But now, football was the thing...no fun if the feet didn't get black...she found this unsurpassable bliss in washing the blackness away with cold water, laughing at her pink, puffed up face after playing, tasting salty footballer sweat trickling down from the forehead, and allowing the breeze to chill her sweaty body...she looked around and found the ball over the glass piece corner that she avoided...she carefully rolled it out and continued the game she would play for a long time to come...never alone, in the football's company.

Synopsis - I played football yetserday night with my shoes on(first time). I didn't wear socks. My shoe bit me. I tossed the shoes away and got back to playing barefoot. My mom keeps tellign me not to do that if I don't want my soles to become victims of KRACK cream. Like always, i continued playing. I came home and washed my BLACK soles, laughed at my face,
became clean. Had a great time. :D :D So, nothing much huh? Indha chinna matter ku poi ivalov periya post thevaiya? ;-)

Yours "Some perspective in life"ly,
Signing off...

Friday, October 06, 2006

Universal language indeed...

UPDATE 8.10.06 - Happy birthday, Reks!!!!!!!!!! Hope u liked the gift :) we had alot of fun making it... and we all felt like keeping it for ourselves! Have a great day! And a wonderful year to come... well, considering u sit next to me in class, u'll definitely have a wonderful year to come! ;-)

Sometimes we rediscover songs. I read somwhere that the mark of a good book is that it changes evertime you read it. I believe in that line. Not only for books, but some movies too. Maybe it applies to songs too? You suddenly realise the beauty of a word or a note or the way a certain part has been sung or the instruments...something. And when that happens to me, rekha, who sits next to me in class, has to put up with me singing the song all day long, atleast for 3 days. Sorry reks! But recently, i have started to rediscover the voice of someone whose been around for long...i've heard him so many times, but something changed somwhere, and some of his songs became an addiction a while back. Srinivas. Blessed with a voice that has moved me to tears. His songs that i happened to 'rediscover'include

  • Chotta Chotta nanaiyidu Tajmahal (movie Tajmahal, A.R.Rahman) - if you havent heard it, pl do. And if u've always thought the song sucked because of the 2 people in the video, then you are mistaken for sure! Its lovely...
  • Kayil midhakum kanava nee (movie ratchagan, A.R.Rahman) - Again, doesn't have a great video, but the song suits the context beautifully. I kept singing this song in college so
    much that my deskmate really really felt like slapping me.:) i finally stopped!
  • Anbe sugama (Movie paarthale paravasam, A.R.Rahman) - Unlike the other 2, i like this
    one's video. The lyrics..."Vazhkai oru vattam pol, mudindha idathil thudangaatha..."

Its funny how none of those movies did too well...but its Rahman we're talking about here! Genius. Seriously....and the lyrics rock...but the voice is srinivas's...its the 'feel' he imparts...God bless. He's "nila kaigirathu" on tv moved me to tears...cha.

And i have recently taken to getting mesmerised by the magic in Naresh Iyer's voice! Bloody
hell...these singers! I used to tell sandhya that i want to marry palash sen's voice (he's the lead singer of the band euphoria)...now, there's one more to the list. I want to marry Naresh iyer's voice! God bless him too!*sigh*. His 'munbe vaa' from the recent flick "sillunu oru kadhal"(which btw was so bad, i can't find any reason surya n jo agreed to do that movie except that it'd give them a reason to be with each other!) and all his rang de basanti songs...Tu bin bataye, robaroo...awesome voice. And...there are times when i get into this spree of listening to dabankoothu type songs...with fast beats...and the new song that goes into that list, is 'kummi adi' from sillunu oru kadhal,in naresh iyer's voice! Very jumpy number... :D Not exactly dabankoothu, but jumpy!

Well...just a small list of songs that make me feel the same thing whenever i listen to
them, no matter what the mood is...

  • Always makes me happy - Vizhiganil ariginil vaanam (azhagiya theeye),Drops of jupiter(train)
  • Always calms me down - Vellai pookal (Kannathil muthamitaal)
  • Makes me smile - Le chale (My brother nikhil),Nenjodu Kalainthidu (Kadhal Kondein)
  • Makes me feel floaty - aqueous transmission (Incubus), I'm ready (bryan adams)
  • Makes me marvel at the feeling people call 'love' - Tu bin bataye (RDB), Ab na ja(euphoria)
  • Makes me nostalgic - Yaaron (KK), My sacrifice (creed)]
  • Gives me hope - Bridge over troubled waters (Simon and Garfunkel)
  • Makes me feel all dark - November rain (Guns and roses)
  • Makes me want to fall in love ;-) - I'll always be right there (Bryan adams)
  • Makes me one with nature - Nila Kaigirathu (indra)
  • Makes me jumpy - I'll be there for you (Rembrandts), Dus bahane (Dus), maahive(faakhir)
  • Makes me cry - Thenpandi cheemayile (Nayagan)and any other song that suits my state of mind!

Ofcourse i can never do justice to the songs i love... they cannot be all mentioned. But this post goes out to all those singers, who make it possible for us to love what we hear, and make music such an important part in our daily lives...SPB, Hariharan, Srinivas, chitra...actually, the list is endless, no use trying a mention. :)

"The most beautiful things in life cannot be said. Thats why you have music"

Yours "Music can do things to you. Things that no one can!"ly
Signing off...