The circle of life

While looking through my box of precious memoirs back home, I found Chuk Chuk the brazen gecko.

This time I went home, I managed to visit the home of my paternal grandparents.

Last year, around the same time, I had return back to work when my holiday ended, without attending the funeral of my grandfather. This year, that house still triggered strong memories of him; how I used to follow him around in the garden, how he used to tell me about the flocks of peacocks that visited the garden (and how he used to give me feathers that he picked off the ground), how he used to write letters to me and send me old stamps, how he used to pluck fruits for us, how he used to make toys and wooden crafts on his makeshift carpentry table outside, how he used to tell us stories of places, how he used to show off his mathematical puzzles and that toothless smile he gave after thinking hard for awhile when asked about something.

Except for the lack of his physical presence, nothing much has changed around the house. There were peacocks. There were fruits on the trees he had planted. The structures he had built still stood there.

On a positive note though, a new member in the house - a very joyful one year old great-grand-daughter born a few days after he died - filled his void in the house and didn't fail to keep the adults entertained.

Rediscovering humanity

Today, I have my first real day of relaxation at home for the year 2012. I have refused to partake in any family events, chartered services or social events in hopes that I can blog and think about how I want to spend the rest of this year.

Let me get my thoughts aligned and archived up to speed since the last blog.

Driving through the countrysides. Balangoda, Sri Lanka

I had a very eventful and pleasant holiday back home despite the fact that I was always on the run and barely home. Holidays home are mostly about giving your parents a chance dote on you, fulfilling obligations to one's blood line, re-kindling old friendships, doing a little sight seeing (if time permits) and then enjoying the satisfaction of having achieved these. Relaxing in one's home country is not an option. Plans to read a couple of books and intentions to complete my memoirs on Nepal were utterly futile.

Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

Being away from my country, culture and society for nearly 8 years, I have begun to like living in a open minded society where sectarian and negatively-affecting conservative beliefs are to a minimum (or at least they are not openly expressed, thereby reducing barriers for interaction and forming bonds). Part of my resolution before the trip home was to be patient, less cynical and open minded to what I was about to experience. I think this mentality helped a great deal with the events that took place for the 3 weeks I was home and at times, made me see a side of that society my usual bias would not have permitted. I was touched on several occasions by the humanity displayed by the people there, which is not very apparent in people living in 'more developed' countries.

Views from atop Adam's Peak (2243m above sea level), Sri Lanka

I'll admit to feeling a bit intoxicated on life these days, mostly with the freedom, fortune, distractions and joys of youth. So much change has happened, is happening that I feel like I have stepped into the heart of a cyclone of mental states. In the midst of this unrest of mind, I have to strive to find myself and pin my priorities in place. That, is my new year resolution.

The Wedding

Sometime ago in December 2009, Katy Kat wrote to me:

"Well for me, the biggest news is the engagement *blush*.... It was the 21st (our 4 yrs and 11 month anniversary) so he said lets go have a picnic in St James park which is the park surrounding Buckingham Palace. So we bought our food (French fries and kebabs) and took the train there. Then when we got to the park i told him if u see a free bench grab it and at that moment i saw a free bench. So i said "Go grab it" And this fellow was lagging behind. So i got really irritated and said something like "What on earth are u doing child?" and turned around to see him on one knee with a ring!! :) Yes i almost dropped Then i realised everybody was starring and so before he could even ask the question i said YES. LOL. Then he insisted on asking the official question and we had about 20 spectators waiting to see if i said yes. The embarrasment! Then we sat down and ate our food :) "

A  few weeks later in January 2010, I said yes to Katy Kat when she asked if I would be one of her bridesmaids. Despite my initial anxieties over crowds, public appearances, heavy make-up and high heels, I was pretty excited when asked because 1) I was touched she thought of me for the occasion 2) It was my first time being a bridesmaid and, 3) Means I had the perfect excuse to give my mother and put off any wedding proposals because bridemaids can't be married! (that, I'm kidding).

Last week, she got married to her long time sweetheart and I was thrilled to be there to witness this joyful occasion. I got to spend several days with the couple, her family and their friends, getting to know new people, planning out a Hen Party for the Bride, observing how her mum worked on the wedding decorations and getting special treatment as part of the couple's retinue. During that time, Shu the "party animal" hit three clubs in five days - that will go down as a record.

I must say Bridezilla was surprisingly calm and in control in the days leading to the wedding, even when others around her were freaking out! ;) She's a rock in disguise, that girl. The wedding day went as perfectly as a wedding can go, thanks to several months of careful planning and preparation. The Bride looked stunningly gorgeous in her dress and the couple looked wonderful together. The church and ballroom decorations were beautifully done and the church ceremony was livened by a talented choir. Her mum had been planning and preparing for the wedding decorations years ago and it was really impressive to see the amount of thought, detail, time, creativity and dedication that went into making the "Beach + Seashells" themed decorations. The couple was surrounded by the positive energy of many good long-term friends and it was nice to see them all come together to make the event memorable. I was teamed up with the groomsman who looked like the Asian twin of Tom Welling (Clark Kent in Smallville) so I had nothing to complain about, really. And my family was very pleased that I had to dress up like a girly girl for a change.

Thanks Mrs Katy Kat, I took away a bunch of sweet memories from the experience. I wish you and your OH all the best in the journey you'll take together!

The years are catching up with me

Only last year during my vacation, I jumped in on invitations to go cycling and fly kites by the river with my adopted brother. And a couple of years before that, again during a vacation, I built a tree house with him - it was an unfulfilled childhood dream of mine to make one and he was more than happy to go the extra miles to build a nice platform with a roof for three of us to relax and play cards.

Today, he asked me if I wanted to go cycling and I heard myself say, "No, not this time, I feel too old for that now."

The trip home has been okay so far. It is always nice to experience the familiar and pleasant things one misses, like the family, the food and the environment. The transition from 49 weeks overseas to 3 weeks back in the home country is like a minor culture shock. It takes several days to get one's head around the people, attitudes, obligations and ways of life. The way of life, for me, is the easiest to get used to. Taking public transport, putting up with the abundance of parasites around the house and having to put up with a little extra house chores are negligible issues. Harder to get used to are having to meet random people (who are close with my parents but not me) and pretend to be interested in them, being reminded to call everyone who I should show my gratefulness to 'out of a sense of duty', being introduced and displayed as the 'daughter from abroad', having to defend myself about why I am not interested in marriage yet and having to put up with sympathies of 'well wishers' who are worried about my single status and recommendations to allow my parents to 'start looking for suitors' without further delay. So these 3-4 weeks out of a 48-49 weeks in any given year are the most challenging, requiring a lot of mental endurance.

On to more interesting topics - the cats at home, to whom we have been supplying cat food from across the seas for several months now, are quite entertaining. They have fattened up from the scientifically balanced nutrition  present in commercial cat food pellets. They seem happier with the new change (see image below).

Kitty and Kini dozing off after a satisfying meal of cat food

Also, I was quite fascinated to watch my mom make tofu, soy milk and soy cutlets from 500g of raw soy seeds. The process involved blending pre-soaked soy seeds and straining the milk out. The residue mixed with spices went on to the making of the soy cutlet, which turned out delicious. The milk was then boiled (some was consumed as soy milk) and a curdling agent was added to this. The curdled mixture was poured on to a rectangular mould and the result in 45 minutes was a block of thick tofu. Such a simple and economical process for a great source of protein and fibre!

And that was Christmas of 2011.

The irritable bug

My body is definitely built for warmer climates. That's when it functions better. With the winter creeping up here, it's getting colder and people everywhere are going down with the flu.

I noticed a curious looking pair of socks that junior was wearing one day. The thought kept me up at work with fits of giggles.


NOT looking forward to the flight home with blocked sinuses. 

RIP Little Turtle

RIP little turtle. I regret my decision (with good intentions) to pull you off the seemingly unfriendly conditions of a pet shop and put you in a loving home with another turtle. I'm deeply sorry I couldn't understand your physical needs properly and it resulted in a slow and painful death for you.

The second half of this year has seen several guests coming to this house for long stay. Last week, came a domestic helper or in common terms, a "maid". The idea was to have someone who can watch the 4-year old so that the mother, after 4 years of being by his side, can start looking for career opportunities and have a guilt-free social life that doesn't affect other adults of the house. A good move, I think.

The first impressions of the new guest are that she is quite efficient in her work and with a pleasant personality. It'll take awhile for all of us to get used to each other's personalities (eccentricities included). She seemed awfully bored and sad the first few days. I once got her a newspaper in her native language and that helped to boost her mood a little. Then I noticed she likes to talk about her family and background with anyone who would listen. She is making progress, she's already done a lot of little things round the house to make it organised. I must admit I feel ashamed to have someone do some of my work like doing the laundry. But here's the thing, by the time I get around to doing it, she's already done it. Not cool. Got to admire these people who venture out of their homes, leaving behind their families (mostly losing them in the process of being overseas for extended periods of time) to earn and give them a better life. Some unlucky ones undergo unspeakable difficulties and injustice in the hands of cruel employers. Life is not always nice to everyone.

Also, as a result of having a plus one in the house, I have have been displaced and have come to share a room with my nephew. He seems to like having me around (I asked). Now my belongings are scattered all over the house and I find it terribly inconvenient to look for things, especially in the mornings before going to work.

Now I'm off to watch Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible 4, which has some scenes shot in my very own neighbourhood!

Lives keep a changin'

A blog is like a footprint. Today, I clicked to find out what I did at the same time last year and I was only mildly surprised.

We celebrated the nephew's 4th birthday today! The young man is growing up really fast. This time the party was in his school with all his friends. It was a very low key affair with just the family and I must say I loved it more than last year! I took off a few hours from work to join the celebrations with a class full of 4-5 year olds. Got to say, they looked rather adorable (but my heartfelt sympathies go to the class teachers, they have a very trying job). There was one little boy, dark and with thick rimmed spectacles that I wanted to kidnap and bring home to keep near my turtles. He looks very cute and geeky. I KNOW I sound like a creepy lady plotting to kidnap small boys, but I'm pretty sure I'll drop him off at his parents' (even without asking for a ransom) after he throws his first tantrum. Okay, maybe I haven't really thought this through.

My interests in blogging, reading and playing music have dwindled. While interesting thoughts and lines for a post do cross my mind during the day, it is rarely put down in words. Listening to music, investing time on the family and spending time with my closest friends (both online and offline) have taken a more pivotal role these days. I'm living inside my head a little less than I used to.

I'll be headed home in a few weeks. This time, I am somewhat looking forward to the trip. I want to spend time with my parents and make an effort to be nice to them (our time on Earth is limited), I'm excited to attend a special occasion of a special friend (and I avoid using the "W" word here so that she won't freak out!) and I'll be doing some travelling and sight seeing in my home country. Add that to good food and nostalgia - I'm ready to face the challenges of returning to the homeland!

Introducing my latest talent crush, Jarrod Radnich. He is BEYOND amazing!