Living it up in summer..

I live in Coimbatore, one of the most hottest and driest places in south India. So of course i have a lot to talk about living it up here.
I decided i am going to do a pic post to show what all i did this summer..
All the pictures, courtesy my SE Xperia Live [or SE Coconut. Dammit.] And my instagram.

The Setting

It was frikkin hot, my first summer away from kerala, [which is not so cool too, but is home]. It was melting the fat off your body hot. 

But the nights are breezy and cool in Coimbatore. So that was a relief. 

There is a lot of flowers. Enjoyed them...

Things I Did

 Shopping.....

 Icecream getaways.. This with my friend, Silvia. 

 Read books galore, which are pretty much indoor activity.

 Went out to eat...Yumm..

Went stir-crazy and did pretty lame stuff like drawing on my hand. :-/

Stuff to do to make the best of the summer..
      

Keep water bodies in home with flowers in it, it looks very stylish and smells divine and is super cooling.

    Ahha, drink loads of water... You gonna need it to look cute and feel cool.

 

Have light food, and move to rice predominant diets, because its cooling. [This is the ayurveda doctor in me talking. Ignore her if you are not into it. I do.]

Go for some cooling ayurveda [or other] therapies like my friend Tyasha did.. This one is Sirolepam, gooseberry pasted with buttermilk on head. Imagine the coolness. She looks so happy..

Some other random stuff that happened..

 This one is just for fun. Umm, the ice cream was cool.

 Big guy here, was visiting our place for a festival. I dont envy him, for his lack of sweat glands, which keeps us cool.

AND..

OOH.. One of the biggest things i did this summer was getting Engaged.. This was my engagement trousseau. Isn't it pretty?

So.. Living Up The Summer... Pretty much lived it huh?

Hmm, its one more month..

Things i would love to do...With Elena, the girl who looks way out of my league. 

Going to the Beech...In the evening of course, the noon sun in Indian beeches are horrendous. And sitting there watching the waves and enjoying the salty breeze....This one has my friend H with me. 

Have me some summer rains.... Ahha.. And enjoy the seeping cold at night.

Of course going out and enjoying the sun while it lasts, because, its raining next month, in which any kind of outing will be impossible. 

Enjoying all the cool drinks while I can, cause, next month, rain and then all the drink i would want will be a coffee or hot chocolate. [This is one pic which is obviously not mine]

Must Do..

And if you have any love for your complexion at all, go for the Lakme line of sun protection while doing all these. I hear its great and is SPF 5O. Which is i fear what my Coimbatore sun needs. Because, who wants look like a baked turkey after any fun you had these days? 

Elena here. And i don't wanna post my picture next to her in fear of ruining the whole spread.

So, Adios, Amigos.

See you soon. 

Heat and Ice

Seriously! What the eFF is with the sun? One more day with blazing sun and no electricity, i swear i am jumping into some local waterbody after writing a suicide note to sue the Sun to the next galaxy!

And Iced tea is divine! I was always the cold coffee girl and you just cant make it at home, never mind the gazillion calories! But iced tea! Refreshing, cool and surprisingly less chance of gaining you pound-a-cup.

Nestle has this NesTea, which the brother bought on a whim. It caught on until we started getting caught with a glassful every two hours. Not so economic, dear.
So i am trying to make the right iced tea at home. I tried half tea half water thing, full tea with different amount of tea powder and lemon extract... Nothing works as good as the NesTea! That tastes like CocaCola but tastier, and mine tastes like, well, Tea. With Ice. Damnit!

So, any tips? Best recipe? I am going to conquer this monster while the summer lasts. And after that i can go back to my hot black coffee, which is great.

Ah, June and Monsoon can't come faster, can it?

Zoom..Click..Spring!

I have no idea if its spring or not now a days in this parts of india, but its so full of flowers! They say its post-monsoon or something(wiki, my guru), but i dont care. Its so really really beautiful, i couldn't help zapping some pics with the Elmo, and then i couldn't help showing it off. :P

All of you, suckers, [especially those who use samsung monte(god i hate that phone!)] DIE of envy! :P

I need to figure out a way to do blogging from Elmo. But activating airtel MMS in the phone is no good idea as i latches on to net and download all my junk mails. Sheesh.

*thinking*

~*~December Mist~*~

December is here. Its my second favorite month of the year. January only beats it because of having the privilege of being my birthday month. Still December is so divine naa. Why?

In Kerala December-January is the winter. And as much as i love my place, i miss the cold and the dew and to be very silly, the snow flakes. The winter temperature here is around 20-22 'C, so no hope of anything remotely winter-y. Still its cold and somehow serene. And romantic. I feel winters are the most romantic season. People go on and on about spring and autumn, but i am in love with winter. And monsoon. But lets go with winter now, as December is here.

In my childhood days Dad got a transfer to a hill station. First we all were very sad as he had to stay away from us, and i was already at boarding and this left mom alone with Aqui. Then during the Christmas vacation, as we all were free and Dad wasn't, we went to stay with him. And those days are more alive in my mind than the last Christmas. It was foggy, and there was slight snowing, cold beyond bearable, i slept under a heap of blankets hugging mom, and there were sweaters and heaters and campfires and books and card games by campfires... It was like i slept and lived in a dream. I used to go walking in the morning(and i never walk usually) to feel the mist and the chill on my face, the dewdrops on my hands, the uncertainty of not knowing what lies before 3 steps and the sudden happiness when someone i know just mysteriously steps out in front of me through snow.. it was my best holiday ever. And i love December for it.


Speaking of holidays, December holidays are a favorite of mine. Though onam is awesome and all, i love Christmas too. Even though mom is religious, we were brought up to accept and celebrate Christmas. And it was a break of 10 days from my god-awful boarding school and it was in my favorite season and there are cakes!! I absolutely love cakes :D ! I can write a blog post about cakes.. Hmmm.. pieces of heaven i call them :) So every Christmas, there are so many many of them. We buy a lot, we gift a lot, we get a lot, we eat a lot... and i gain a lot (of weight). :P This years Christmas is going to be extra special as i am making the cake! And remove that frown from your face guys, i bake awesome cakes :) And i will post a pic for you all!!


Then there are the cards. Ah.. I really miss Christmas card craze!! Is it me or the cards are like totally out now?? During my college days, i used to make a list on December first week-(I am not an orderly person, so a list is like my ultimate devotion) -of people i want to send card to, of people i have to, of people i should, and i used to spend all my pocket money on those. Then i would get an unexpected card from someone and i would go "damn,what will i do for money now" and grudgingly shop for them.. And there were these cute little cards our girl gang used to distribute amongst us. They were so small and so cute, with little cute messages.. i miss those girls and the cute cards. I have a huge box of cards i received during college time and many many of those are Christmas-new year ones :) This is one thing i don't like about the virtual world creeping upon us. Even with songs and animation and all, e-cards don't make me feel anything. Its not personal. It doesn't have little PS and a funny comment. It doesn't have scrawled price tag. And it doesn't have that feeling of your heart jumping when you open it. [And is it again me or did card prices like shot up in recent years? Now a days i walk in to a hallmark shop and freeze seeing the prices.] Send me card!! Its like angels in little covers!

Then December holds the birthday of the two important girls in my life. Mom and Di. So this month really breaks my bank. But i love dispensing joy, so, i don't really care. Those two evil, devilish and incomparably awesome girls gets the best. I don't really care.

The point is... through life's rushes and races, stop a moment to look at the world around you and me. And appreciate little gifts of life. Sometimes you will be amazed by the kindness nature shows us.

Adopting two lines from Lenka's The show..

It’s a joke nobody knows
They've got a ticket to that show..

In smalltown girl's life....

Its been long since i have written about my life. So a very unorganized and not so thorough but rather boring attempt at that..

~*~*~*~*~*~

I am working. AT LAST!!

New place, new people, new responsibilities... but sadly, staying at my parents' home makes it all less exciting.

Mom was pestering me about job since i finished studies. I don't blame her. We are not exactly Ambani or Mittal material. But some exams were making it damn hard for me to start. This lead to a lot of clashes. Between me and everyone i hold dear. So i was naturally looking for something that will take me away from the resentment. For someone who had only seen home during vacations since 11, i hoped it would be the easiest thing ever. How wrong i was!

Final line is, in younger days, when even i wished i was home, i couldn't be here and now, when i wish to be away, i just cant get out.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I tried a lot to find what i want out of life. Still haven't landed an answer. Marriage, kids etc is what is happening with every one i know. Somehow it doesn't appeal to me much. succumbing to an arranged marriage is what Indian girls from small towns do. But not every one of them think alcohol is cool or do crazy social networking or think that gay rights should be preserved.

This makes me think that it was a bad idea to think out of the box. If your fate is confined in a box, the best think is ignoring everything outside the box and get accustomed to the life in box, however ridiculous that might be. Or be prepared to be disappointed and destroyed.

But i cant change who i am. And i don't plan to. And i am prepared.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I gave up on love.

That is the only thing i have came to a conclusion in my life. Its not happening. So stopped wondering about it. That is a huge relief.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I am madly in love with social networking. Its the best fun ever. Though i am glad that my college years were not spent in long hours of orkutting or tweeting from class. Every second of those years, i was there, my friends were there. Or i would have missed chunks of memories. And i am a bit sorry for those who don't realise what they are missing out on. Go out and enjoy life too. However precious FB/orkut is.

~*~*~*~*~*~

We are under the rain attack. Rain Gods seems to be extremely pleased. A might less would have been appreciated. Its flooding here beyond limits. Clothes retain moisture, am wearing sweater(i happen to live near the tropical line), wet umbrella following me everywhere and rocky smelling like...well, dog. Its tad difficult to love rain in these circumstances. But i manage. :)

~*~*~*~*~*~

Nothing more.

Au revoir!

Monsoon.. The water which kindles the fire.. (ok, this was a tourism ad slogan, but true)

I know hundreds of people who hates monsoons. The monsoons in kerala. The stormy powerful destructive force of nature in full form. Its the time you hunch when you walk, before the mighty rain, holding on to your dear belongings, trying not to get angry splatters. The time your anger surges up due to piling of wet clothes, moist dry clothes, dirty window sills, water on floor, little children bringing the seal of monsoon on their shoes and decorate your home with it...

I have, for my entire life, loved rain. Once i have mentioned to a friend that water is my essential element because i never get enough of it. I have loved monsoon from my childhood, from when i was 5 years or so. I was a very silent and thoughtful kid, not like the current me.I used to love walking in rain and getting my feet wet on the way to school. The first day of school used to be the first day the monsoon makes its mark, in the first week of June. The wait to use the brand new printed umbrella, the excitement of new school days, the new books, the earthly smell of soil when it first rains, the fun of walking in puddles, the cancellation of assembly, standing in the corridor and stretching your hands to catch the rain drops.....i can still feel the sensation of cold water on my hands. Ice cold, and the excited shrieks of friends...

In monsoon period, everyone shifted to indoor games, which i loved. i was a lazy arse and running around always made me feel inferior.

In boarding (6th to 12th), i was in a daze. I don't know what was wrong with me there, i hated the boarding with a vengeance, and it hated me back. I don't remember much of those days, except that the school was closed during June, the first month of monsoon. So i spent that time at home with monsoon special fried eatables and TV. The memories of rain those times are of me not wanting to go to school and sitting in a car with all my belongings and looking at the rain splattering windows on the way and crying.

In college the monsoons were the most happiest times i remember. My college was on a hill and the wind was too heavy. When it rained all of a sudden,we would run fast through corridors for cover, as the rain just drenched the whole lengh of corridors. Most of our study leaves collided with monsoons, its damn difficult to study when it rains and all you feel like is either stare at it or curl under a blanket and sleep. Me and H used to study in the corridors and it was fun watching a calm rain, but it was more fun when the violent rain would come and rip me and H off our comfort and scatter our notes all over and we would run after those laughing to collect them. The rain also made us wear sweaters. In kerala, well, in most parts of kerala, a sweater is like a water cooler in Green land. But the monsoon was so cool that we would dig the sweaters out, and wear them day and night.

Monsoon doubled the effect of laziness in me, making me sleep all day bunking the classes and sleep through the rainy afternoon. And monsoons made me very creative. Many of my legendary letters were written in rainy afternoons by the window.

Later home and now, job..( at the resort, it rains in the sea, which is a whole new vision..)

Till now, monsoon rules kerala as well as my heart. It is an indescribable feeling, Heavenly, as well as Earthly.. I dunno if anyone got that. Just come down, and experience... You will give it better definitions..

Why Stepping In To The Backyard Can Be Dangerous.

Mom's plantation for the season is SOYA. I always thought soya was a Malaysian plant. pffttt... Malaysia!!I should've known better. (And not to mention i sucked in geography and biology.) The current scenario is that, the whole backyard is a jungle. JUNGLE!!! The soya is Indian! It proved it, thank you very much.
It doesn't look good, it tastes like shit and to top it all, its so healthy and readily AVAILABLE, I have to eat it. Yeah. Just what i needed!
Mom's reaction? She looks at them like she looked at me when i won the Freedom Quiz once when i was in 4th standard!! And she also sprouts crazy ideas like taking photos and sending it to local papers! (Believe me, its huge. And scary! ) I wanted to put a picture of the whole thing in here, but i seriously think the ministry of forestry, if saw it, will take our land away!!

PS: Any one needing a tropical rain forest shooting location is perfectly welcome!