Trip to Bandipur and Masinagudi

Account and more pics coming up....sometime!

The honeymoon

House boat. Is awesome the word? Maybe. For a day ;) :))

Jihva.....for life

Beautifully colored photos, amazing vibrance, enviable passion, undeniable lightness, wow, what did I stumble into?

I am talking about the plethora of food blogs that are out there that I didn't even imagine existed a week back. Now, I keep going back and back and everyday I'm impatient to go home and try trying out those recipes. I am so impressed. Simple things in life. No complexity. No search for the meaning of existence. What a breath of fresh air. Wow :) I can't stop wondering :)

Here are some:

Mahanandi (Cooking with Consciousness ~ Recipes from India and the World)
Vindu A feast to the palate and the eye.
Sugar and Spice
Sailu's Indian food and Andhra recipes

Burning bridges is getting scary

I never had this problem before. I was never scared to burn the bridges, turn my back on them and never ever look back. In fact, some could even fault me for being so...(ruthless? merciless? What is the word?). It applied to both professional/academic as well as personal life. No regrets, quick decisions, no dependencies, and just look ahead. Those were the keywords. But burning bridges is getting scary.

I wonder if this is because I'm growing older? Maybe the "I dont care" attitude of youth is finally leaving me! But I thought that was a character that was deep rooted in me - not an attitude associated with chronology! I thought I was the kind who could dream earningly of something, but the next moment embrace something totally opposite. And its not as if it has never happened. So many instances, so many nostalgic memories.....but never regrets. Never fear.

I am setting fire to one bridge in my life right now. As with so many others before it, I would at times, "think" of going back to look for the ashes - but time wouldn't allow it. And the thoughts would be dismissed as soon as they pop up. And if they do manage to reach the top of my mind, I may temporarily allow myself to fantasize - no, not about going back, never. But about what would the people on the other side be thinking about me now? Are they remembering me with fondness? Do they think "Oh, she was a good one to work with, study with, be friends with..." and such inane stuff. Maybe I should call them? Nah, thats too much effort and well, thats a even more scarier prospect - What on earth would I talk to them?! Email would be much better. Oh ya, a two liner on what I am doing, what you doing, see, I've come far and well, are you still there? Dont tell me... kind of a mail.

No, I dont think I should be that harsh on myself. I do know creulty is not one of my deep-rooted characters! Not if you are not messing up with my dear ones or dear possessions.Ha, she still adds the "possessions" and thinks of them as dear! When would she learn!!

Getting back, an email sent and waiting for reply - and then once it comes, easily forget it after reading it a couple of times and smiling happily......

Fear....fear is making me talk to people I shouldn't be listening to. They don't play any part in my life other than having been on the bridge at the same time and having shared a few moments with me ...of laughter, of fierce competition, of rivalries never explored. Hah!

As for the lit-bridge now.....throw the fear out I say. What on earth can happen? Maybe I will become jobless one day because of my actions today? Well, I will sit at home and paint - ya, that's what I will do. Generalities don't apply. Not to me. Not to someone who wants to oh, so passionately believe that every milli-second is an opportunity to change life. If I can imagine I can close my eyes and I will be elsewhere (I believed in Magic while I was younger, maybe I do even now), I can handle this. Yes. I can.

Never shall anyone say she didn't know how to face it. I shall and I will.

Oh, what a self-centered post this one has turned out to be! hahahaha!

You've become a Mrs!!!!!!! Oh no!

Hey lady, do you know you've come a long way?
Is that right, sir? Pray do tell me why you think so?
Why, you've become a Mrs now!!!
PS: In case, anybody is wondering about the long gap between the posts!

Squabble

The baby bird, as it was christened, peeked out of its nest hoping its parents are nowhere nearby. It's been a few days now....cloistered in this warm pricky nest. It took the baby bird quiet sometime to muster up the nerve and trample all the way up from the deep nest. And just as it almost reached the edge....poo, slipped its feet from under and its all the way down to the deep bottom. That was two days ago. This is the fifth attempt. Or maybe sixth? Hmm not sure. Come-on, you can’t expect a kiddo to count, can you now? Well, anyway the sixth time, the birdie baby (they also call it that), came up to the edge, it didn't slip. It peeked out!! Hooray!

"Oh so is this how it looks outside? Hmm, no wonder ma and pa are out all the time!" murmured the baby in its squeaky unused voice. Now, now, didn't I tell you not to ask questions? I didn't? Well now I do. So don’t ask. Don't ask how birdie baby can speak if it has never used its voice. It doesn't know. Frankly neither do I. Anyway, to continue...

Baby took some more steps up and before it knew it, can you believe it, it was sitting on the edge of the nest! And the world was below it. Green was the color of the fields, red was the color of flowers, blue was the sky and birdie was delighted. Maybe it could fly? How can you be so dumb? Inattentive? Don't you know to read? I told you not to ask questions? Birdie baby doesn’t know if it can fly. But I do. But I will not answer you. Now on to the scene.

"Babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy......... oh my god, dear! dear! You old fool, I am calling you! Would you stop eyeing that red swallow? You are a barbet and its no use I am telling you! Ha! Well listen! Our baby is sitting on the edge of the nest! And he may fall anytime. You better go push him inside"

"Hey hey now there is no need to insult me you hear? Reddie and I are just friends....and well she did give me a little worm the other day when you refused to share that fruit with me.....So....uh what did you say? Hmm uh hmm oh ya, baby birdie! God, that kid will be the death of me! And I haven't even met reddie's parents yet!"

"What? what do you mean? Haven't met reddie's parents? Now why would you want to meet those pale redders? God I am telling you the barbets are done! Gone! If they start seeing reddie's what will happen to us? God are you listening? God..."

"Shut up! shut up! You gals are all the same, whether you are a barbet or a reddie! Even she gave me an earful when I went and nudged her for that worm! Man! What is this life?! When I was younger..."

"YOU NUDGED HER???????????????? How dare you.... that’s it. It's done. No more. No more I say"

"No, no, no....please dear... that was just a slip of the tongue....I didn’t nudge her! She did. I mean do you think I will go and ask her for anything? Let alone a worm? That too when I could have nudged you for the fruit? And man her red is nothing before your green I tell you"

"Really?.......dear, I misunderstood you for a second there...well I don’t think the reddie is so bad....I mean look at her family....though their parents are pale, she is real bright and her brother....hmm he is out of this world....did you notice how he flew right up to that eagle the other day to ward him off our area? And wow he can search a mean worm out the ground any day, raining or shining....and you know…”

"Oh? Really? Hmm maybe I will go learn from him. What do you say?"

"Ya sure, in fact let me come and practice as well. I can help you guys search worms then. Hmm. Oh god. I forgot. Look birdie is not there anymore. Come on hurry. Check on him. I need to go clean up feathers at the parlor now....."

...