tHaNkS GiViNg

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "Thank You," that would suffice.

~Meister Eckhart

Now a days all are celebrating more of western culture than our own(Esp in the countries I work/ed they celebrate X'mas more than their traditional festivals), but if there is any great things that exists else where we shall observe, ponder and if it doesn't affect us much in our day to day life and if we are not neglecting our own tradition, then we can start practicising it for the happiness & well being - why not !! Thanks Giving - Its a new concept for me, but I liked the reason behind it " It is about showing one's gratitude for the blessings that we are showered with" and so here in this post, I would like to "Thank" - All of them who shown gratitude to me !!

a) Parent's - They are the BEST, I have told many a times "We are Blessed" to be their Children, I have had always Loved Them, but this year was more the more special as the way they understand/stood me is "Spot On" and also how much support they give me is beyond any of their peers. I'm proud to say -"No One Can Be Like Them in Understanding & Supporting Me" and I doubt will there be any, but I wish I have one/two more persons in the future who want to reach that spot - Thanks Dad & Mom for being so nice to me - There is no pay back for all the LOVE you guys shower on me & bro, but will try my hardest !!

b) Brother - For being my God Father as always, asking the tough question and making me feel, just don't play with your own life and says often - "Wake Up" kiddo, u have lot of aspiration but start working @ it, I need that to rejig myself once in while and here he was doing that everytime when I was in need and he delivered with out me asking for it - Thanks Bro !! U'r comments in the blog, atleast I know u read the blog - that keeps motivated to write again :)

c) Family Relatives - The nicest people other than immediate family have tough fight and this keeps getting interchanged b/w relatives & friends. This year I would like to Thank Relatives as lot of good memories starts with them during childhood, esp first circle of relatives - "Uncle & Aunts" , "Cousins & Nephews/Nieces", and gets to backstage after we start moving a lot with Friends and colleagues. This year I got pleasant surprises and back in good touch with all of them, which was missing for sometime. Thanks All for making me feel that way !!

d) F-R-i-E-N-D-S - I have seen some phases of it, some never stops growing, some dwindles when we thought it will never happen, some started off with a bang and didn't even move beyond a week, some we know we had a great relationship even when we don't speak that often, some changed after they get a family, but yesterday "Tour De School" brought back lot of good memories of our school friends - we still are a close knit gang - Thanks Guys & Gals for being my friend and bring happiness, joy and helping me to overcome some really sad days/things that otherwise would have been difficult to contain !!

e) Colleagues & Job - Last 2 years, I have been seeing more of the South Horizon and in the middle of the year, even I have seen the tip of the south, luckily "Thanks Giving" is in the year end and things are looking better, still covering the south and climbing up toward north and I'm in the median and would definitely like to see the North Horizon soon. I have to unofficially Thank my boss who have shown/showing both the horizons of life and definitely he is nice to me !! There was one person who is Sr and we worked very closely last year and she was part of the successful project win in one of the leading Insurance firm - Thanks a Lot for being there !!

f) Clients - Thinks again was tough for the last two years and picking up and there were couple of clients who have helped me to climb from the tip of south towards better horizons and this is the best time to Thank them for believing in me and I need to Special Thank to One person the most for making me work @ a crucial juncture of almost giving up and inch towards my first deal - Thanks will not suffice for resurrecting my career !!

g) Tutors - Lot of tutors we would have come across in our school & college and very rarely we remember them for long. Few of them I would like to thank are my X grade "Maths" tutor for being so helpful and hardworking. My first year S/W Engg Tutor & OOAD Tutor for their teaching and finally becoming friends !! Glad that I met them and got tutored by them, in corporate life I would say my biggest tutor was "Experience" and I got loads n loads of them as I experimented enough and circumstances allowed me to experience more than what I could handle sometimes. Thanks all for teaching the best you could & shaping me for a bright future !!

h) Others - Who have discouraged me, who have encouraged me indirectly or directly, they have in a way induced me further in climbing the ladder for sure, Thank You All for being part of this year journey and I know you guys will come up next year too - to scale me up in LIFE !!

I) Myself - I Thank My Gut Feel/Instincts/Blind Confidence(tho less compared to my peak) for "Not Giving Up" in so many instances, when Doubt & Only Doubt was my company and I was walking a path - few have taken and with no experience to handle - I Struck Around and I'm seeing the light @ the end of the Tunnel !! Pls share your thoughts in your blog/FB/Twitter/Mail Them - who ever touched you this year.

Have a Happy Thanks Giving to All !!

Happy Kaarthigai Deepam

Wish You All a "Very Happy Kaarthigai Deepam" !!

It was colorful this year as you can see above, unexpected but enjoyed nevertheless with Sreeni & Family along with another Polarite - Balaji. For myself and Balaji this is the second visit to Sreeni's place in Hunghom in HK and its a win-win for all of us. Sreeni's family like us to be invited as his daughter - Harini(below) enjoys spending time with us (Balaji & myself) and for us a good south Indian meal s0 quite understandable why I said Win win for all :) Had a good fun there watching cricket match, walking to wet market and had a good lunch (Sambhar, Rasam, Valaikai Poriyal, Vadam, Payasam, Nanari Sarbath, Adai in the evening) and good Kaarthigai Deepam ambiance and lot of new faces from their friend's circle to chat !! Nice day spent again @ Sreeni's place. After a long long time celebrated Kaarthigai Deepam and felt the color with the Deepam and light spreading across the place and myself too !!

C-O-U-S-I-N-S

Naanga 5 peru, enga kelvi kekka neraya peru, vali nadatha oru patalame irunthithu, vera vera oorula irunthom, varashum naaalanju vaatiyavathu kandippa meet pannipom chinna vayasula - Quarterly/Half yearly/Annual/ Deepavali/ Pongal/ Ethira leevanu ella leavelayum onna suthirukkom - antha naaatkal "Endrendrum Aliya Ninaivugala Manasula Pathinchirukku", itho ovaruthoroda pagirthalum intha varuda "Deepavali" ONLINE celebration thru maila irunthu,

Vijay aka Bro says, "Ultimately what brings the real happiness is this relationship and the memorable moments,lets cherish this forever".

Vinod aka China says, Deepavali's in the past, where we all assemble and scottapa already have had purchased the crackers for us and then we try to kayavechufy, then get money from all esp aaaya to buy the crackers from Bangar kadai !! Rain will come n play spoil sport and we waking up in the early morning and perima being the first to get up and help us all apply oil along with mom n chiti and all patasu assembled in the front Thinai & make sure the velakku is placed away from the air n crackers for safety and then counting chettiar veetu paatasu paper Vs Ours - those lovely days !! Then going to temple, having a poori chenna breakfast and also the SUN TV programmes used to keep us busy for the rest of the day - lingering moments for all of us and we used to have a great time !!

Vicky Aka iPhone says, Wooow you covered everything except the carrom board game we used to play in the late afternoons. Still I can remember those awesome days!

I really hated going to school after having such a wonderful diwali.

Vijay aka Bro says, Vikku - You forget to mention who usually win, anyways I don't want to tell myself ;-)

Krithika Aka Gang Leader Says, Its great to c the mail, and its even great to know that everybody share the same thoughts. Even i was thinking gone r those days....This generation dont have the same atmosphere v had. It's something special and unique. Not only diwali days, vaadagai cycle, hindi tuition, kites v used to fly, puli mittai, horlicks and maltova (even though they r available now also), nostalgic...,

Vinod aka China says, Sis, tats definitely was those gr8 days which lingers in mind every passing Diwali these days...since u brought the kites, hindi tuition n all, I wish to add one morething that we used to do every summer - swimming in kaveri aaru and adi perukku n mariaamman kovil - bajji, sugar cane juice and also the pariyur pandigai - peengal plate, rubber banthu, suttu velaidrathu, perunkaya dappa, koiya maram, elantha maram,maatuu pongal OMG list was endless - but did all these things year on year !!

Even after doing so much for years we forget something - tats wat this age n time brings to us n not the enjoyment we had and its getting worse for younger wards @ our home too !!

Very nostalgic.....

P.S : @ Akila aka Silent Book Worm - Yet 2 Say ;)

@ All - Just captured the moments from mail to Blog - Add ur comments here so as to enjoy reading in future as well.....

Chinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

"Invisible China in China" happened at-last and I loved each & every moment cos of my Chitappa(uncle) who took good care of me in China even at this age, like he did when I got sprained my leg in the Marina Beach 15 years ago - that's true affection & I felt it in every movement as well as moment, Chithi gave the same warmth thru phone calls this time around unlike then CITY Life "Uyirulla Kathirukkai, Cards Playing, Daily Shopping" experiences @ Chennai!! Chitappa - Thank You for showering me all those care which was overwhelming at times and at the same time made me realize after a long time - I'm getting to feel the need of relationship and relatives after few years of seclusive life style in Singapore & Hong Kong !! We cousins have got the best affection, learnings & treatments from All Our "Appa's (Periappa, Appa, Paneer & Parthipan Chitappa) & Amma's(Periamma, Amma, Uma & Baghyam Chithi)", Touch-wood let that continue for ever for us and also hope we do that to our generation as well !!

Moving to the heart of the trip - "Guangzhou" - A place my Chitaapa & Chithi along with their daughters Deepu & Mahisha inherited and consider as their second home & it indeed made me also feel the same way. Guangzhou - I loved the City for the weather, wide roads, good infra n food too !! I liked the place for the "Legacy Modernization" approach they have handled thru SEZ route and Chinese Govt have transformed this normal place in to a "Commerce Hub" where people from all over the world visit to do business - All in less than 20 Years !! I saw so much of sky scrapers and well paved roads and multi layered fly overs and was in awe. But China shows the world "If There is Will, There is A Way" and being a corrupt nation themselves they could do so much that we sud be learning from them and step on the pedal to rise the bar soon to lead Asia & World, like China is doing now in Asia !!

Chitappa offered me the best food of the trip @ home during the first & second supper - "Pepper Chicken" from his culinary skills that was seasoned during his studying days, supplemented with the better known local cuisine from Guandong province - which are normally less spiced, less salted, but ate a lot of variety which I never ever consumed in life till then - Dumpling with Veg stuffing, Pork, Cow stuffing, Brazilian Buffet with all parts of Beef, Japanese Sushi, raw Solmon Fish, Oats, boiled Bracoley & pumkin, lot of fruits - Dates(for the first time I ate the fresh dates and it was really good)

Visited "Pearl River(In the Photo), Fushan(reaching this place took lot of effort for even Chitappa to make the local understand n all my thoughts of trying to find my way in China myself in the next trip was slowly vanishing), Banyan Tree Temple(1400 Years Old), Beijing Lu (Shopping Street where we bought the Warmers/Jackets for winter from Jeans West where the quality and options are more and Beijing Lu is like Nanjing Lu in Shanghai I was told), Leather Market - offered wide variety of shoes for whole sale and fake shoes with all "Hi-End Designer Labels like Gucci, LV, Clarks" too !!

In the Central Guangzhou saw - Big malls (Next to which Govt destroyed a 3 store tower to build a park for people to relax), Samsung Ad-Covered building that welcomed the athletes to the Asian Games in Guangzhou, Tien He sports Center and also the TV Tower (in the photo) is so brightly colored with the best of the bulbs for the Opening ceremony of Asian Games. I would have felt sad if I had missed that view from the Harshvada along the "Pearl River" that plies between the Guangzhou @ a beautifully done pavements on both the side of the river which has good area to walk, sit, jog and reside - I loved the whole sight of It. The pavements on both sides invited me to jog again after a long long time !! I LOVED Guangzhou as a whole but this night view of this river captured my heart n mind !!

We also went to Shenzen and luckily we kept the luggage in the station itself before moving on to the best attraction - "Windows of the World". This place provides the miniature of all the best places in the world, esp most of the 7 World Wonders !! Had a tough time capturing them with out ppl or buildings in the background as its crowded and covered by buildings even thought its in outskirts of Shenzen. One bad thing was no where in the MTR station they mentioned about the attraction, if we need to take a tour it will take 4-5 hrs minimum and even after walking the whole length & breadth of the place, I missed some of them as its big and worth a visit once. We had our dinner in one of the Pakistani/Indian restaurant & Chitappa came almost till the gates of immigration and we bid adieu to one of my first trips to China !! Chitappa thanks for showing me the best of Guangzhou & Shenzen and it was indeed a memorable trip for me - worth the wait of 4 years since the time you invited me to China !!