Ramblings of a recent pluviophile.

Some days you get up with a glorious sense of purpose, filled with positivity and an urge to complete all the pending tasks, take on new ones and have a productive, energized day where at the end of it you feel satisfied with the accomplishments of said day and a sense of fulfilment.

Today is NOT one of those days for me. I have them on and off, but not today.

Today is one of those days, where I want the dull overcast skies to open up and browbeat us into submission, into taking shelter and watching the rains pelt down.

Today is one of those days where I want to laze about my cosy flat, sipping endless cups of masala chai, observing the clouds pass by, munching on potato chips and surrendering myself to binge-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

You, of course can see where I am going with this right!

I miss the rains. I am not a true blue pluviophile. Rather I am a recent convert.

For the longest time ever I hated the rains. Hate is a very strong word though; I just didn’t like them rains. And being from a place that worships and heralds the showers, I didn’t quite understand the whole fuss about it except that the crops and the running water depended on it.  To me, the rains were symbolic of early morning cuddling inside the bedsheet, not wanting to go to school, uniforms that never dried and the slush and mud that soaked through the shoes and socks. School always reopened after the summer vacation at the outbreak of the monsoons and it was simply uncanny how it always used to end up raining exactly around the time we had to leave for school.

But off late, I crave for these bursts. Being in a place where rains are more like ‘switch-on-switch-off’ phenomenon, I miss the monsoons back home dreadfully. In fact, my whirlwind trip this time home had a specific wish attached to it. R.A.I.N.S. And I got my wish and quite a lot of it too. :)

(C) Aishwarya Ananth

I think there is a deep bond that is attached to it, that I have discovered recently.

The smell of the earth, the feel of those first few beads hitting you squarely, the first blast of the chillness that knocks into you, the puddles, the splashes, the leaves tinged with the dewy droplets, the feet that get wet soaked through the sandals that you wear, the sense of calmness that pervades you, the beating heart that settles into the rhythm of the pitter-patters on the rooftop, the nostalgia that engulfs you, the feeling of freshness, new starts and that of washing away vestiges of despair and ire. …. I can go on and on… and of course curling up with a hot tea, a book and enjoying the rains never really hurt anyone, did it? ;) :)

(c) Aishwarya Ananth 

I understand that feeling now. The fuss that people back home make about the rainstorms. There really is no comparison, is there? I have seen and felt the rains at plenty of places. But nothing really compares to the feeling that you get when you enjoy it back at the hometown – the place that you are born and raised.

And that my dear friends, is a feeling akin to nothing else. 

Of Simpler times. Simpler Lives.

She stepped out of the hotel and looked up at the sky. A clear cloudless day. The sun was streaming down unflinchingly on the tourists. Big floppy hats, oversized sunglasses and tubes of sunscreen were all she could see on most of the tourists around. This was actually the best time of the year to visit Thailand, when the days were sultry and the nights were cool. It sometimes rained in the evenings but overall there was a pleasant breeze that was present all throughout. Today however, was a different story. She took measured steps towards the gully-like road towards the beach. A few more yards and she would lose the hotel Wi-Fi connection. She sent off a message to her folks, then looked around, ignoring the hawkers peddling their wares. And it was then that this caught her eye.

It instantly transported her to those days when she was a young brat, begging for rides in her great-aunt’s vintage fiat. The military green colour. The hardened seats. The window that you had to struggle with all your might to roll down. But all said and done, the car had that old-worldly charm. Her childhood was filled with many a ride in that car. Summer vacations back then were fun. Her entire brood of cousins would land up at her grandmother’s place and afternoons would be spent at her great-aunts’ place, lying down on the cool floors that were sprinkled with some water, listening to the stories that her aunt told about the golden days when they were kids and how simple life used to be back then. Pestering her aunt, while the latter went on her medical rounds, taking on some house visits, struggling all the while to keep quiet and not create a racket, as bored as she got, for she knew the rewards lay at the end of the ride. Sometimes, it was those orange candies or lemon candies, sometimes it was vanilla ice cream, and if she was really really good, she would be treated with one of those cassata bars. Simple life. Of no expectations and no worries. There was always someone to get her back and people to fall back on. The only biggest worry then was whether the skinned knee would hurt when she had a bath or if she would get the lion’s share of her grand mom’s famous fried potatoes. Simpler times. Simpler lives.

She felt the phone in her hand vibrate. Jolted out of the blue, she saw her dad’s message asking her to be safe and not to roam around after dark. She put the phone in her bag, and walked off to the beach. The sunset was just a few minutes away. It was one of the other things that soothed her mind. The nostalgia coupled with the homesickness brought on by the message heightened the urge to head back home.

She promised to herself. Soon. Soon.

Funny how random things could trigger off hidden memories and calm the mind.

Sometimes it was a stray word, sometimes the tune of a long-forgotten song, and sometimes a vintage car :)

2016 - a week gone by and a nice new shiny badge from BlogAdda :)

7 days down in 2016 and it has been an awesome week in 2016 so far. :)

Highlights of the week…

My New Years start was pretty darn good. Close Friends, Drizzles and the Fireworks. It’s a combination that cannot go wrong ever. :) Midnight wishes SG time with the family and friends who are as good as family and a temple visit on the evening of Jan 1^st rounded it all up very well. :) :)

Last working day at Bank of Singapore was a couple of days ago. When I joined BOS, I was, more or less to say, floundering. Not knowing what I was getting into, plus I was going through a shitty personal time as well back then. Three months into the job, I was ready to quit. Honestly. And then, my manager for the better parts of my BOS journey, convinced me otherwise. He told me to take a break, come back rejuvenated and then start all over again. I did that. And then there was no looking back. I can safely say that BOS was one helluva journey. I have dipped my hands into so many aspects of the team there and have had the opportunity to learn so much there. I think it has made me evolve into a better professional at the end of the day and for that I will always thank my manager at the beginning of my stint in BOS.

I’m right now at HOME SWEET HOME. :) It has been about 7 months since I have come here. The first few hours at home, I’m like this dog who goes around sniffing each and every corner trying to grasp and mark its territory, wondering what has changed and how much. :) There is definitely no place like home as they say. Forced double helpings of all kinds of yummy food, loot from Kalam (read jackfruits, coconuts, guavas and bananas) and the fact that I am not doing one single thing. I eat, laze, read, sleep and repeat.

But the highlight of this week has to be the fact that my last post, was picked up by the good folks at BlogAdda for their TangyTuesday Picks :) … First ever time that has ever happened… and the high!! WHOA!! :) They have given me a nice shiny badge that I have updated the post with and a cute write up on their site.. So Yaaaayyy!! :)

Check this out..

So that’s been my week peeps :)

How has yours been? :)