Todays Prompt : Object
Lamps are objects that have always fascinated me… This picture is of an arrangement of my favourite lamps that I lit on Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, this year. The taller lamps are typically South Indian brass lamps called Nilavillakku…the smaller ones are the traditional earthen ones.
It was a stormy night and so I could not light them outside the house..
Before the naughty waves reached us……
Was it the sun or was something else…..
that wet my eyes……..??
Though the Challenge does not warrant a write up, I feel compelled to pen a few lines about this amazing temple, its architecture and carving. The Brihadeeswara Temple complex completed 1000 years in 2010. An UNESCO World Heritage site, it is one of the largest existing temples of India, located at Thanjavur, a sleepy town of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, built by Raja Raja Chola I of Chola dynasty.
A characteristic village in Kerala India…. the paddy fields , the coconut palms and the blue sky….this is my own village….. 
The back waters of Kerala….. serene soothing calming.. reflections
The sea in North Kerala….. with palm fronds …
http://ceenphotography.com/2014/12/16/cees-fun-foto-challenge-landscapes-or-seascapes/
White to me, will always signify purity, simplicity and peace.
Unfortunately in Hindu Culture, white is inauspicious and signifies sadness. It prescribed this color only for Widows and widows wore only this color day in and day out, whatever may be their preference, age or wish. There was no choice.Things have thankfully changed now.
In Kerala a part of South India, we also wear a special kind of a saree called Kerala saree which is not strictly white but off white. We wear it for all traditional occasions. In the picture I am wearing it on a Festival called Onam.
The stairs in our house is colored white.
And I love white clouds. So I am starting with them.
Started the weekend on a positive note.. went for a longish morning walk…
Walked the talk with Rajiv
#100happydays Day 16
In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Shaken and Stirred.”
This is an interesting prompt because I do like cooking and it is part of my day and life in many many ways.
My affair with cooking started after marriage. As I was just out of Medical College , I had no clue about cooking and had apprised my fiance about this fact. He and I had a pact that we would learn cooking together. It goes without saying that this momentous decision was never translated into reality. But I realized that he loved food and home-cooked food at that. To give him his due, he was extremely of my initial “disastrous” attempts.
There was no Uncle Google then and my first culinary teachers were the various cook books that came with my first pressure cooker, food processor etc. The results were sometimes pathetic and would have been funny if they had not brought tears to my eyes. I did not have even a gas stove and toiled over a Kerosene wick stove and a pump stove for my first productions in the kitchen.
It was under these trying circumstances that one fine day, I was told of an impending “party” at home for “just 10 -12 ” people. I was aghast but my husband was confident that I would do just fine. I did not share his enthusiasm or his confidence and had huge butterflies in my stomach. The big day dawned. I started at around 9 in the morning and worked till 5pm when I realized that I was far behind my schedule. The kitchen looked like a hurricane had visited it, my table was not laid and the house was in a mess. Hubby dear was busy in office and when the bell rang at around 6 pm, I opened it and promptly burst into tears. He was stunned. Anyways I controlled my tears and made the house and kitchen and myself look as presentable as I could.
The guests arrived. They were all bachelor officers with healthy appetites. Now, one of the dishes on the menu was “Dosa “. When it was time for dinner , I was told by my enthusiastic guests that all of them wanted only dosas!! The end result was that I made Dosas continuously for over 2 hours. By the time it was my turn, the batter was finished!! But I had some very happy guests and a very proud and happy husband as well.
So I would rate that as my best attempt at a meal, given my inexperience at both cooking and hosting guests.
Went out to a friend’s place to celebrate their anniversary …. came back and spent a few precious minutes in my daughter’s room – the backdrop is a huge poster her friends made for her on her 16th birthday !
#100happydays Day 4 – 24 Nov 2014
Nov 2014
<a href=”http://Envelope Pushers“>Achievement: Have you just run 26.2 miles, finished a long-term project, or met a personal goal? This week, show us an achievement.
Also In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Envelope Pushers.”
Drew a blank on the grid yesterday so am Linking it to todays post In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Calling Uncle Bob.”
The event I am going to talk about is one that is a little old.
It was the time I was doing my MD in Obs and Gyn . My daughter was born by Cesarean Section just a few weeks before my university exam. Let me assure you doing the rather strenuous MD course during my pregnancy, was not a walk in the park.
The surprise was that at the end of it all, I had not only cleared the exam but also managed to ace the University! It was the happiest achievement of my life and so I also consider it as my biggest achievement.
I guess I was so paranoid of being unable to handle the extreme pressure , that I really pushed the envelope then.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/achievement/
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/envelope-pushers/
<a href="http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/envelope-pushers/">Envelope Pushers</a>
Ripples N Reflections 