Happy Day After V-Day

V-day, unlike the famous D-day, is not about war but about love. Is it really about love...does love needs to be really delegated for one day?

Do we need to take a day just for celebrating love....shouldnt it be everday. Some might say that it might not be a bad idea to remind people that there is something called love and that we should celebrate it. I agree with that but what makes is not so "lovely" day is how even a day of love has turned into a marketing ploy. Hallmark, Godiva, and of course Flower shops.

I am all for public affections.. but I dont want anyone to tell me that I should do this and that. Dont tell when I am watching tv...oh for your valentine, get this... I dont want to. I want to think on my own and get something that really matters. And that doesnt have to be bunch of chocolates.

A scene at a nearby Duane Reade the day before V-day might explain some meaning or should we say lack of, for this day. Guys standing in line with a flower in one hand and a pre-filled card in the other just waiting for their turn to buy, let the day do its thing and get it over with. What a meaningful, inspiring, loving, caring scene. Some might not even have read what the card - which they will be giving to the love of their life - says. It is just a routine. You have to do this...why? oh its V-day.

Instead of doing it all in one day...why not spread the love throughout the year. If you are so inclined for a day to be V day.. let it be every week, every month. I dont want to wait for it once a year.. that too much pressure, we have birthdays and anniversaries to worry about. :-)

Shopping Spree

Presidents day weekend, and all we can think of is shopping. Well shopping was on our minds for a while now, not for us, but for the apartment. We have to replace the old style cabinets, the small old TV and Sofas, fridge, all kinds of stuff.

So off we went to look for some stuff, just look. Stuff we looked at were really expensive, but very enticing. went to sears, circuit city, macys, target.. then finally pc richards.

Ordered a flat screen plasma tv. This one: Samsung SP-P4251 42" EDTV Plasma Television
looks good no?

We didnt want to spent that much on it.. but it seemed like it was worth it at the time when we were looking at the TV with admiration and just like.. oh wondering... hmm how would it look like in our living room. :-) so with much consideration, we gave into the ID in all of us and took that TV.

That was my long weekend.
And oh, I have to start thinking of future, start thinking of all my responsibilities.

Snow storm NYC

The first snow storm of NYC.
It has kept me hibernated inside the apartment for two straight days, no basketball, no going out, nothing. Just practically confined to my room.

So I took out my camera and thought I will take some pics of people who are braver than me to actually get outside in the snow.

Snow storm NYC

How come we get used to snow so much that we sometimes loose the beauty of it.

Nature can be beautiful, nature can be cruel as well. The affects of Tsunami is still being calculated, lives are being changed day by day. Hope you guys are doing something yourself. Some financial help, a prayer at night. Anything.

Eid

Its been two whole weeks since I have gotten a chance to write something. I have a chance tonight before this weekend comes to an end as well. The time just goes too fast, I cant believe we are almost the end of January. I wish I can hold on to the smallest moments forever, sometimes I do by taking pictures but its not like we can have a camera everywhere we go and have it with us when we are doing every single thing.

This friday was Eid, Eid-ul-Adha to be exact.

Eid-ul-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's (PBUH) willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah. Allah rewarded his willinging by sending in a ram(goat) to be sacrificied instead.

For the first time in 10 years, the time that we have been here in the US, we sent money back home(India) to give a goat as a sacrifice. This goat will be distributed to the poor and needy first, relatives second and then shared with family members.

I miss being back in India during these festive times. It would have been a big occasion and celebration. Here it was more subdued, went to masjid to pray in the morning, went to work. Went to work, how is that for a day of celebration. :-) But all in all, we are happy with how things are going, so we have to be thankful.

A New Year

A welcoming of a new year is much needed. Hopefully it wil be a happy one. A safe one perhaps is a better way to put it.

For the past few years, the eve has been spent at the comfort of home with mom dad and sis. This year was no different, except the home was in someone's else place. A subdued new year was much needed, a time to pray and hope. Time to look back at things that had been happening in the world. Time to look back at things that happened withing myself, surrounding, people I affect.

I wont bore you with the detals of the changes, but in the coming entries i will be sure to go back myself and think through things. There is a lot one can learn by revisiting decisions made, choices that were picked, arguments that were necessary (uncessary perhaps) , people we loved, fell out of love. Some things we carry on, some leave behind.

Wishing you guys a Happy New Year.

Apocalypse visits Chennai

A day after people all over the world celebrated christmas, a destructive natural occurence took place. A tsunami that was the result of a massive earthquake ripped through many countries in South East Asia, inluding my home state of Tamil Nadu. In Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu and where I was born and lived for the first 14 years of my life, was a place filled with shell shocked people.

I read the tragic news online here in NYC just a few hours ago. It showed pictures of the beach (Marina Beach) that I often used to visit, filled with destruction. If you can imagine 20 feet ocean waves rummaging through the city, a sight thats so beautiful to behold but suddenly a deep realization creeps in about how destructive that beautiful nature can be at times.

People's life destroyed, lives altered forever.

I can only pray for the safety of my relatives down there.