L(p)ast week...

It was a bit different from the normal with indulgence in various things. Birthday was very normal which is different in my case...I always had a blast in almost all the birthdays since those college days. As age increases, birthday fun decreases :) You can call this as Raji's law of birthday action....Jus kidding!!! I made a sweet for myself but did not feel like having it since it did not come out well :( Friends came over late in the evening and there was a formal cake cutting although I did not enjoy it to the fullest except having the delicious 'Tiramisu' which is my favourite. I was invited to a friend's place for dinner on that day. And the day got over...September looks full on my calendar with the markings on most of the dates...Wedding Anniversaries, B'days, Baby showers...Need to wish people for those which I remember atleast...

Dance practise for the diwali show is shaping out well and I am glad that I am picking it up fast than I expected. Although it is a very new experience of trying out a classical number, I like it :)

Picked out 3 books from the library and in the verge of completing one which is 'Being in love' by Osho. This being the first book of Osho's that I am reading, I have had lot of thoughts that I felt like contradicting as I read. Now, I am curious to read the next one of Osho's that I have put on hold - 'Emotional wellness'. And the other two - 'Tipping Point' and 'Talent Overrated' is yet to be touched...Have a pile of magazines that remains unread and the other gifted books too. Have to get back to the speed, I guess...

Long weekend went off very quick with travel and spending time watching movies, cooking and chatting with Sis. Movie part now...
Malaikottai - With a so called comedy grip of Urvasi and Ashish Vidyarthi's, there's nothing significant to talk about the movie. Priyamani was very homely and Vishal was as usual trying to prove his choreographic abilities by doing so much extensively...
Sakkarakatti - Lokesh, hero's friend is better in dancing than acting. I used to be a fan of him when I was watching MM in Kalaignar TV. Saanthanu - I wondered sometimes why is he trying to speak unnecessarily with a different accent sometimes? Dipali - A dolly :) Vedhika - Wat to say? No idea....The whole movie itself tried to convey something but came out as an utter failure...except the songs...Although Taxi Taxi may be a humongous hit, and 'I miss you da' might have won accolades for the singers, my favourite is 'Marudhaani....'
The Proposal - Watched during the flight journey. Ryan Reynolds as Andy and Sandra Bullock as Maggy...watching two opposite poles like them in the whole movie was a good timepass. I thought that only namma oor movies has the family sentimental in a certain way and this particular movie had something similar when Maggy/Andy's marriage is arranged and Andy's grandma gets the necklace and the wedding gown from the family clan...looked like 'Idhu enga amma kalyanathukku potathu...Andy-a kalyanam paanika poravalukkaga naanga bathirama edhuthu vachirukom...Idhu enga kudumba sothu...Kudumba vizhakkaga vara pora unakke' types....And when Sandy...sorry Maggy runs away from the wedding ceremony justifying her act, the drama played by the Grandma after that...marks a closing act :)

And surprisingly met a college junior in Boston...Couldn't recognize her until she came and told me 'my rapport with juniors' in college. She was excited to talk to me and kept talking for few mins in a flow...:)

Its been years since I played with kids...Sis's friends visited her place and got a chance to play with one of them :) Also, had a great dinner time with them - After having great food in India, this is the best so far, I would say - Sambar, Rasam, Aviyal, Potato Chops, Beans poriyal, Curd rice, Veg Pulav and raitha made a 'wholesome' dinner and ending it with a home made 'Tiramisu' made by my sis...I wish I had hibernated there itself :):)

I was reading Murali's blog on 'Quietitude weighs heavy' and now I could feel that :( Whatever, life goes on...

World of surprises...:)

I love surprises, in a positive sense though. Be it giving a surprise or getting surprised, it's always a delight :) Few sample surprises are here:
1. It is your B'day...And as usual, you would be thinking what your friends are going to do to make the day special and they will be normal like any other day making you wonder what's wrong. And you leave the place not knowing what will happen and when you reach your hostel, someone calls you from behind and take you to beach where all your other friends are there with a blackforest cake that you love waiting for you to cut it and they can dress you up with cake...not with the eggs and tomatoes but with the buttery, creamy cake which you loved to eat but ended up all over your face and you look like a clown in the beach :)
2. Your friend emails you saying that one of his friends is coming to your place and he can get something for you and give it through him. And you don't know when his friend is coming and one fine day, you are there in the canteen sipping coffee with friends and there comes the devil...your friend himself handing over gifts and chocolates :) And you have your mouth wide open with your eyes showing an unbelievable sense...
3. You are there practising for a cultural show and busy in getting the costumes...And when you enter your work place, people come running to you and hug you and few others wishing you on a well deserved promotion. And you are like 'What? Me?' and you rush to look at the email and call your family to tell the good news :)
4. You are with your friends on some award function at workplace. You did not know that you would be called to come on stage for more than 3 times to get the awards and the chief guest who gives the awards
whispers in your ears 'You need not go from here. I am sure that the next one will also go to you. Don't waste your energy by going back and forth..you can stand here till the awards get over' and you give a great smile with pride :)
5. You come off stage after dancing and about to grab some dinner at the buffet. And there comes few unknown faces towards you shooking hands with you saying that they loved seeing you dance on stage and asks you where you get all this energy from :) You never knew you were such a delight to watch in dancing...
6. There's this big event where few celebrities have been invited. Not knowing that one of your most favorites is going to come and perform on stage, you were for a surprise when you hear that name and you run close to the stage to show how crazy you are :)
7. You come home and check the mail box where in you received a package and you think it was the one that you ordered. But, when you open it, you see something else and come to know that it was a gift for you in advance for your birthday and you feel so happy for getting a gift in surprise :)
8. You go home without intimating parents for their 25th wedding anniversary. In addition to that, you hand over a small gift where in there is a gold ring for your mother and a watch for your dad. Your mom never worn a ring before other than on special occasions and you dad has been wearing that old watch for more than a decade...And you look at their eyes which is filled with tears out of joy....
9. You have a group of friends whom you are meeting after an year. You casually chit chat with them and after few minutes, you give a big round box and you friends are like 'What's this?' and when they open and see a big collage with you grouped with everyone. And they come and hug you...:)
10. You prepare a CD with the unforgettable moments, you get a saree, you decorate your friend's house for his/her b'day or wedding day...all that as a surprise...Who will not cherish these moments?

I started writing and did not want to edit after completion. So leaving it as it is...I know there are lots of past/present tense mixes...if there's a grammatical mistake, it came out in a flow...so, excuse :)

When taking a gift is a cherishable moment, giving and seeing the 'happiness' in one's eyes/face is more than anything in the world...Although all these moments happened years ago, it's still fresh in the mind. I had been in 'cloud nine' moments but never had been in a moment where I can say 'Now, I feel that I am on top of this world'... :):)