You don't decide when you go..

That was pretty much the summary of my conversation with my grandma. Spent an hour with her on the three day trip. Wish I could spend more time with her. Grandma never sat up and walked after her surgery more than a year ago. 

My conversations with grandma have the usual points (from her or me)

Her points :

1. Grandpa is gone. I have no reason to live. Just praying that God takes me soon. (understandable given she got married to him at 5, started living with him at 13, had 8 kids, had a long and happy married life for 65 years and he passed away)

2. the doctors did something to me after the surgery. I try to move my body but it doesn't respond

3. I am doing my best but it is not working

My points :

1. you don't decide when you go. 

2. as long as you are here, might as well try to do your best and do the rest room thing yourself

we have had the same conversation twice in the two one hour visits over last year and this year. 

She is still sharp and is probably the most progressiver person in the family given her age and situation. She always wants to know if the kids are still practicing music. Never asks about their academics or school.. Only "are they still learning music? are they practicing?"

The woman truly believes that the only thing worth leaving our kids is art ! Sometimes I actully agree with her. 

Hopefully, next year when I see her, she will be up and walking to the restroom on her own! She is trying... 

Bad designs

Electric kettles seem to have one fundamental flaw! The cords are too short. Be it the one in the Chinese hotel or the ones you get at the local Target here, they all seem to have a cord that is at the most 18 inches long. 

This means the kettle has to be practically close to the wall or the thing doesn't sit on the base well. That also means that if someone has recently used it or if you are trying to unplug it before removing the vessel, the probability of getting burnt by the hot vessel or steam puffs still coming out every now and then is high!

My MIL has already gone through heat boils many times.. for me this is happening after a long time. 

This happened bright and early yesterday morning. So I skipped Yoga yesterday. Thought I would give it a shot today and by the time the class ended, the thing went from being flat and wrinkly to almost popping. Think by tomorrow's class it will pop and will get this over with. 

The body is amazing in the way it directs the recovery crew to a specific site and the hot room accelerates the process is my guess. 

and on a side note, given my recent realization that my bald spot is no longer a spot but more like a bald field, went for a new look. All the ladies in the house unanimously hate it. Have never managed to unite them like this on anything before! 

Life is full of little quirks.. for now I am happy to be blogging again! If any of you know why these kettles have such short power cords, let me know! 

Never miss a chance to say hi..

I had three days in India. One was to go shopping the day before Deepavali. One day was to celebrate Deepavali and visit relatives. One was to visit more relatives, pack (yes.. stuff as much as possible within one suitcase. Threw away old clothes which were worn on a business trip mind you, and replaced them with sweets and savories!) and do the other must do things.. 

Which was to visit two of my two favorite temples. Did a whirlwind visit to Kabali kovil on a rainy morning. 

 Have written many posts about this place.. it always brings back amazing memories, mostly of my grand father and mom and playing with my brother.. meeting my wife for the first time.. long list.. (read this old post and got happy tears thinking of grandpa)

Took a couple of snaps on the way out. The Gopuram has been freshly painted and the inside of the temple has got a face lift of sorts! 

A stone base from the 7th century with freshly painted statutes on the top! The contrast is interesting and is pretty much symbolic of everything in Chennai, when I see it with my own filters of what is new and what is old!  I could spend hours with my kids, describing the stories those statutes tell, but that has to wait for another trip, when they visit the temple. 

Spent only 30 minutes inside, but Kabali always gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside, no matter how short the visit.

Until next time...