Sunrise and Sunset

As far back as I can remember I have always been a sunset person. I would rather stay up late than to wake up early.  On the few days that I did wake up early I always made a point to note how much I got accomplished but never managed to make it my lifestyle choice. I enjoyed satying up as late as I possibly could. That is, until college happened.

My undergraduate college days saw me waking up again at 6.15am or 6.30am at the latest so that I could catch the 7.10 train (and 7.15 bus in the first year) at Nungambakkam station and start my 42 kilometer train journey. I hated it so much but never once missed making bus or train. I had two good classmates who sometimes were on the road when I got out of home and gave me a ride to the station. Else, it took me 10 minutes to cover the kilometer walk between home and station. And yet, the location being Chennai I never saw the sunrise...as by 7.00am the sun was hitting you hot and heavy...

During my Master's, there was a semester I had to audit a course that was at 7.30am. Groggy eye, in Kansas winter I would walk through snow and ice and make it to the class barely on time and then post session would go to the student union and sleep the rest of the hours off. I was so involved in sleep walking once that I had ignored to check the weather and had to be escorted by a cop back to home as the college was shut due to a blizzard through which I had walked...of course, first winter in life...do not judge me!

And when I started to work, I was always lucky to work 2 minutes away from home. No kidding! So again, I slept through sun rise but made to work on time...again, that is, until now, when I have to drive across town to make it to my new job...the excitement of seeing the sun rise in my rear view mirror is amazing! The red ball of beauty slowly comes up on me until it blinds me through the rearview mirror. The changes the sun rise brings to the sky is something I cannot explain but you have to experience. I now enjoy seeing that happen and waiting for it to happen after the sky first turns, yellow, pink, taupe, indigo, purple, and then he comes up! ah ha!

So now, I am a sunrise kind of person. I go to bed early, shut down watching my Korean dramas by 10, spend some time watching regular TV or doing stuff around the house and then I am done by 11...I am still getting used to it, my body is shocked but I know, like all else...this too shall become a part of me...

ART

Omo Othuke?!!!! (OMG What to do??!!!)

Ya, it has gone overboard…I am really enjoying this Korean thing. The best part, all my BFF’s are into it too. We meet and chat about all the Korean drama’s, our favorite actor (KJH! Of course!) and actresses, etc, etc, etc. It gets funny when we start wondering if every Asian person we meet is from Korea.

Last  Friday when we had gone to gobble up some of the best Sushi ever in the world at Masu Sushi (try saying that name continuously…such a tongue twister) and I was begging to say Kamsahamnida to the server. My husband and friends told me he must be Japanese…so no Hanguko (Korean). I prevailed, I stopped the already funny waited and asked him if he knew Hanguko too…and he said…”Ne (yes).” I squealed then my girlfriend S also squealed and then it started. We had the waiter spend most of his time on our table because we kept talking to him in Hanguko and asking him Hanguk (Korea) drama questions. He was Korean, as were many others who worked in the restaurant and everyone came to pay respect to me, the Indian who now considers herself to be a Hanguk Saram (Korean). Ya Chincha (really)!

This trend started during the Olympics, where Babs would cheer for America, I would for S.Korea and G getting frustrated for us cheered for China. We screamed loudly, beat our chest, and hi-fied, fought, blew raspberries and what nots…but in my house it is established that I am Hanguk Saram.

Oh and then! My break with staying at home came to an end. I think being a SAHM suddenly after having never done that is really a shocker. I realized how much of a slacker I was but then I think I spent the most quality time with my daughter. Who, of course, landed up breaking her arm under my supervision. Shredded my heart to pieces and then put them back together by handling the situation better than I ever could have. Such is life. This summer was amazing. Trip to meet family at NC, beach, tennis, and family time. Then staying home and relaxing with Korean Drama. Met friends whom I had not seen in eons, shopped, fought and what not’s.

And then the big life change. From driving a max of 25 miles per day I am now driving 100 miles per day at least to the new place of work. It was one of those decisions I had to make and I am pretty sure that I could not have chosen better. Like my aunt always told me, “all for good.” I want to believe in it. I hate the drive but it is worth it.

I slacked off blogging mainly because Babs broke her arm and I was heartbroken and then that flowed into laziness and hopefully soon I will be back in full flow.

Love

ART

Handle With Care...

There are some people in our life whom we should be able to put inside a brown box, fill it in with a lot of bubble wrap, tape it tightly, and then write the words, "Handle with care." Then we should put the box on the top most, most far away shelf from our reach and pray that it does not fall out, and that you should not have to open its contents again. Worse, should they be broken.

Phew! Did that mentally, feeling relieved now!

They are like the gifts you hate, that you keep away and pray there is a good occasion to re-gift. They are like the things you should have thrown out years ago but keep saving it for the unknown use they will be in the far away future. Each time you see them while you clean you are convinced that it should be thrown out but you hang on...why? I don't know. Or maybe I do know and just do not want to write it down here. I wish I could let go.

Obviously, I have been cleaning my house...sort of summer cleaning...but the above metaphor is so true for people too.

I hear the newly installed wind chime go ting ting tang...my heart feels good.

Now the kitchen cleaning should start but I am afraid of the ghosts (and metaphors) I might find inside there.

Love
ART

Summer Cleaning...

My plans to clean the house took a backseat when compared to my Korean drama. My love for Korean drama has changed into my love for Korea and everything Korean. There are days when I look at my insufferable Samsung phone and still feel happy that I am at least owning one Korean product...similar to what my favorite actors hold in their hand in my favorite shows...I also regret not buying a Korean car...but that is not about to change now...I am just crazy...crazy for Korea. So any how, now I am back to cleaning the house and I made so much space. There is a lot more space available than before but strangely I have not gotten rid of many things, just displaced them and relocated a few. I am slightly freaking out that I might forget where I kept what but that it for the day when I will be searching for something. In the next couple of days, if you do come to my house, ask me to give you a tour of my closets :) I also started a knitting project. I wanted to knit a skirt for Babs but that took a wrong turn and got twice the size of what it needed to be, so I had to undo everything and re-start...should be done before next week took. I hope I get to do some painting too, that is one thing I have not done since Sanjana was born other than random ones here and there. The past long weekend, we vegetated in the house. Babs said something that sounded so like G, "I want to stay at home and relax, don't want to go out." Scared me and G...she also reminded G to take his own dishes away as she was not his servant (something she picked up from me). We also saw Chillar Party together and really liked it, now Babs wants to see it everyday... Today after picking Babs up from school, we waited in the pick up lane at pharmacy when Babs said, "ahhh, chincha." That means ,"ahhh, really" in Korean. And she also said, "ne, majeyo, (yes, that is right)" when I asked her if she did not nap in the noon. Makes me happy that my daughter loves to learn languages as much as I do. Right now, so smitten by Korean (hanguko)... And today when my car showed that it was 99 outside, I know for sure that it is officially summer, a little late but thanks for the most awesomest spring ever. I really hope that in contrast to last year, this summer is beautiful. Hopefully I start blogging and tweeting more often...I need to

Shoes!

Last year in summer I mentioned to an ex-colleague of mine that I had close to 25 or 30 pairs of shoes and I never wear all of them. This colleague without mincing words said, "I really don't think you have as many pairs. I have never seen you wear anything but these black ones." Which is a lie because I have been complimented by this same person for my different footwear and of course it is all forgotten because I really abused my black heels. They were comfy, easy to find among my shoe mess, and just plain comfy to carry me around for a whole day.

Now that I am relaxing and enjoying my time at home, I decided to clean my shoe rack first. And to my surprise I found out that I have over 40 pairs of shoes including my boots, and sneakers. I am really hoping that this colleague reads my blog so that she can see the photo evidence. The fact that I still don't wear all of them remains to prove that I am a comfort junkie and as much as I like to dress up, I hate being uncomfortable. So the black shoe stays!

Consolidation of the majority shoes/sandals that I own.

My most favorite shoes and sandals. I wear them at any given opportunity.

The snake skin print is my fav stiletto. It rarely hurts but always looks good.

The one next to it in white, was in brand new condition when this photo was shot.

Now I have worn it once and I had owed this pair for a year before I wore it out. 

I am sad...I need help sometimes.

These three are my next most comfy shoes/sandals. I love the turquoise with brown stilettos. 

The light brown one with flower is so comfy that I can wear it for days without complaining.

The strapped heels make me happy.

In love with this Steve Madden that is so comfy but also a wedge. I normally hate

Wedges but this one is not so high and so easy to wear. 

Last but not the least my wedding sandals. They are gold, with gold rhinestones. 

What is not to love about it. I have it worn it so many times that it looks like this now.

Now after all these years I finally organized them into the over the door shoe rack. They sit there easy for me to wear and I am trying my best to wear different shoe each day and not to repeat them. I feel so bad for all the money that I have spent and not using the shoes. It also sucks that there are some sandals that I have never even wore once. I am going to change that this year. Looking forward for a shoe filled year.

I want to thank that ex-colleague of mine for motivating me to clean up the shoe closet and also for giving me a topic to write about.

Love
ART