It's Madras- Not Chennai

"Welcome to Anna International Airport" . How I long to hear those musical words!Its been 2 years now- 2 years since I said left the shores of my country, 2 years since I have seen my parents, 2 years since I breathed in the salty dense air of the Elliots beach. It hit me last weekend when I went to Philadelphia after a hiatus of nearly 6 months, and it just struck me how much I missed the sights and sounds of the city that welcomed me into my adopted country! And thinking along the same lines, how much I missed my city- my Madras!

For anyone who hasnt lived there, it is just another city- hot and humid, where water is so precious that its easier to buy coke, where you find people fighting to fill bucket full of drinkable water, where auto drivers can just sense that you dont belong and take you on a tour before they drop you next door from they started!But all said, it is my home! I have spent 22 years of my life in that city, and now more than ever, I miss it!Little things like the smell of the ocean, the late summer rain, the scorching heat in the summer, the single cup of "chaiya" that I used to have at the corner tea shop- I really do crave for them. My mom yelling at me to get up in the morning, my Dad , ready to go for his walk but deciding against it as it is too hot!My sister sprawled on the bed next to me, muttering in her sleep...Biking to school, spending hours on the phone with my friends only to meet them an hour at the beach! The masala peanuts, the horrendously bad- looking roadside- romeos' - Aaahhhh memories!

I heard that the city has changed tremendously in the 2 years that I havent been there. It has changed dramatically in the last 6 years- I donot recognize that manyfaces but neither do they know me! New roads, new malls, new hotspots....but still when all has died down it is still teh city I gre up in. the early morning chants from the nearby temple, the "kaikari karan" yelling his wares out, the smell of the morning filter kaapi wafting through the air- that hasnt changed. And that is what I miss... the people , the sights, the sounds...the smell of my city!

Where do I start?

I know I know...its been eons since I visited this page!!I had never realized that it would be so hard to put pen to paper( in this case fingers to the keyboard). Its not like I am sooo busy that I have no timeI spend all my time reading random ramblings ..Its just that I have been hmm...eeemmm....LAZY-there I said it! as much as I hate to admit it...But I finally decided that I should be less lazy, so here I am.
So many things to write about..travels that were taken, issues that were debated, books that were read, people that I met, dreams that I have had, but where do I start?
I am going to take them one at a time....so hopefully I am going to write regularly, since I feel this sudden urge to write! Hope to fill the pages before I run out of steam!:))

These are a few of my favorite things...about winter

So..everyone has a few things they look forward to every season. I have put together some of my favorite things that I look forward to every winter. In no particluar order, here we go...

1. The First SNOW shower of the season! Need I say more..the pristine white blanket covering the ground and the branches of the now-barren trees. Nature at its best!:)

2. The relaxed atmosphere at work. Parties, lunches, vacations!Can we ask for more?

3. The gaiety and festivity at the malls! The huge decorated wreaths, humongous christmas tree and teh cute old man from the North Pole with the very excited kids!Picture perfect!:)

4.And of course for the shopaholic in me....The SALES!!

5. Lights, decorations, Santa-biking snow globes, the beautifully gorgeous ornament studded trees! Aww....

6. The baking frenzy that sets in just a few days before Christmas... The yummy home made cookies and debut of many aspiring bakers!

7. The spirit of christmas. It's all about giving and receiving. I love buying gifts for friends and family. The anticipation on the face when opening the gift warpper..Priceless:)

8. Memories made and captured with family and friends. This year has been fabulous so far on this front!Good times....

9. Anticipation of a new better and fulfilling new year

10. More than anything else, a wish for a perfect white christmas!

Mumbai massacre

The utter audacity of the terror strikes, the precise planning and the execution leaves one numbed to the senses. Hearing the survivors describe their plight and the shots from the bloody carnage cannot be erased from our memories for a long time to come. Time heals ..so they say, but ask the thousands that have been rendered kinless by the mindless barbaric acts of "few mad men" with skewed ideologies of glorified religion. Our nation is angry, thirsty for answers. All the talk about "Mumbai limps back to normal" & "Kudos to mumbaikers for bracing an attack again" has thankfully taken a back seat. Heads have rolled, so is this a beginning of any action and accountability? India was the center of the world's media attention this past weekend, exactly what the attackers wanted! But is that going to yield a solution? Is that going to make us unified in our fight against these violent strikes?Are our neighbors going to co-operate?

I wonder...

A night to cherish...

A night to remember
A night to rejoice
A night when America turned over a new leaf

A night where a new chapter in history was created,
A night when democracy spoke at top of its voice
When millions hugged and cried

Amidst the chants of "Yes we can"
Stood the leader so inspirational
that the entire world was celebrating

I had never imagined that a political leader could inspire me enough, to make me want to express my opinions so loud. But the piece of history that I witnessed last night, the words that I heard and the emotions that I saw and felt of the millions of people , young and old, from all walks of life looking up to one person for a new lease of life. Barack Hussein Obama had become a household name in the USA over the past 2 years, but now he has reached over to millions of more people across the "shores, in palaces and remote corners of the world".

The night America elected their first African-American president
The night America again proved that anything is possible
The night the world understood the power of youth!!
The night I would remember for a long time to come:)