Miss Vasudevan says "Bye"!

This will be probably be the last time that I write as Miss Vasudevan! I know it should feel strange... but it doesn't!

Leaving for India tonight! For all of you in Australia - see you when I get back (Feb 18th!)! For those of you in India - hope to see you at the wedding!

I still don't really feel like I am actually getting married! It all seems too simple! I will try to upate when I am in India - if not, then deffinetly when I get back!

Wishing you all a great day / month!

12 days to go!!!

2006 - in retrospect!

2007 is here, and I actually still can't believe that I have lived through yet another year of my life - without really achieving anything! Or so it feels...

January - I think Jan was a good month. Work, work and more work! I learnt about the true support that my friends could offer me and learnt that in order to love the world, you need to love yourself first. No one can make you happy but yourself.

February - My daddy was here!!! I remember thinking, "This is probably going to be the last time we all sit together like this - as a family!". I also started my dance classes in Feb, and spent the whole month making trips to the airport!

March - One of my friend's from high school gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy!!! I BECAME AN AUNTY FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! I bought a great watch :P (which I still have - and still love!) and was truly enjoying life! Isn't it amazing what a good watch can do?? :P I think there were a few months in 06 that I will truly treasure because I know I was allowed to do the things that I wanted to do...

April - I started tutoring again... Continued to just enjoy life for what it was.

May - Srini turned 21. Our house was robbed... It was a real roller coaster month!

June - I don't remember much happening in June. I think I spent ALOT of time with the people I work with! It was a greatly social month as far as I can remember!

July - I bought a brand new car - a AQUA MARINE TOYOTA YARIS!!!! YIIPEEE!!! It was all very exciting! I also managed to really get close to my mum...

August - I went to my first ever International Conference. It was great fun - I got so many free pens that month! I spent a weekend with my friends from work at Moreton Island (Which was absolutely gorgeous and the dolphins were sooo cute!) and presented my student seminar. It was also the first month that my parents got really serious about my wedding. It was a month of great confusion - but things did start to get better... eventually!

September - WHAT A MONTH! It was the month that I first spoke to the person that I will now be marrying. Someone on my MSN list has a quote that reads, "Sometimes we grow up overnight". I think that night for me was in September! I think I really did change as a person then - maybe not overnight, but deffinetly over a month. I feel like the change that was triggered in September is an ongoing thing though. The mental clarity that I had been craving all year, came to me in September. That sense of freedom is a great thing...

October - Appu turned 19! 19!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?? My baby brother was 19! DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD THAT MADE ME FEEL??? (Yes it is all always about me:P) I went to India, decided to get married to Sudarshan, did all my wedding shopping (in one day - a sure record!), and then came back! I turned 23! I sometimes think "I am soo old" and then I think, "Actually I am not!". I guess I just knew that I was no longer a kid - however, it is best to be an adult in your head and a kid at your heart and that is what I like to think I am (most of the time anyway!).

November - I presented at the student conference! I spent the whole month getting to know and love the person that I was going to marry. I continued to experience a myriad of emotions - but everything happens for the best.

December - I did half my growing up in September and I think I finished it off in December! I went from doing nothing around the house to doing almost everything! I was no longer freaking out about getting married and was starting to enjoy every moment for what it was.

Overall, it has been a beautiful year. After I did a summary of 2005, Natasha said to me, "Did you count the number of months you mentioned your work??". It was an indication of just how many of my thoughts and actions revolved around my PhD. I guess much of this year has once again revolved around my workplace, but also other things...

I am looking forward to 2007 - it is already looking like it is going to be a lovely year! I will take what 2007 has to offer with the comforting thought that both the happy and not so happy moments can now be shared. Yes... it will be a beautiful year :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WELCOME 2007!!!! BYE BYE 2006!!!

WOOHHHOOO!!! :D:D:D:D

Wishing you all a truly awesome year!

Make those Bodies Sing!

I bought bananas for $2 a kilo a few days ago!!!! HOW GOOD IS THAT??? It was on sale at Woolies and they were sooooo good!

Now, I don't really like bananas - I don't hate them (I know some people who REALLY HATE bananas - I just don't really like them, a bit like the difference between the English Cricket team and the Australian Cricket team - bananas being like the English Cricket to me rather than the Australian cricket team...). However, when I saw that they were only $2 a kilo, I HAD TO buy them! I haven't seen them for that price in what seems like forever!

Anyways, after I bought the bananas, I had one. I ate it and I thought, "You know...this isn't so bad!". Then I ate another one...

I didn't realise how much I had actually missed a fruit that I didn't particularly like in the first place!

Now I mis my mum and grandma's cooking. I made "pongal" today. I think I used the wrong paruppu or something.. it tasted fine but didn't taste quite "right". Anyways, Srini said to me, "Thank God we only have to do this for another two weeks!". I said, "Yeah, for you! I have to live with this for the rest of my life!".

Why doesn't my food taste like my mum or grandma's food???

Anyways! The Bananas were great! :D

Ba naa naaa naaa Ba naa naaa... Maaakkeee thoose Bodiieeess Sing! Haven't seen that ad in a while - I wonder why!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

HOPE ALL YOUR DAYS ARE FILLED WITH LOTS OF LOVE AND FANTASTIC PRESENTS! :D

And for Sydney-siders - Who would like to start a club with me, where we place bets on the weather for the day???? How crazy is it???

Keep smiling everyone!!!!

Love,
Vidya

Something I read Today...

"I, for one, thoroughly believe that no power in the universe can withhold from anyone anything they really deserve." - Swami Vivekananda

Bye 2006???

Somehow it doesn't seem right to say Bye-bye to 2006 yet. I wanted to write a summary of this year, but I feel like there is still quite a big chapter of 2006 left, and so I am going to leave it for another week or two!

A month from today, I will be in Chennai! I really can't get over that! A month after that, I will be getting ready to fly back to Sydney...

How am I feeling? I don't really know how to describe it. I go through a roller coaster each day. I feel like I am emotionally unstable now (even more so than usual!). I shift from "manic" to "depressive" in less than a second! That is worrying!

I am sure what I am feeling is not that different to what most people would feel in my situation. I think it is "The Great Unknown" that makes this period in my life so very terrifying and so exciting all at once! I know I will look back on these days and actually appreciate and cherish each day for exactly what they are - a bundle of contradictions and time of great mystery.

I watched "Vivaah" yesterday - it was sickly sweet; enough to make one puke! I enjoyed it none the less. I sobbed all the way through the second half - can't remember the last time I cried that much during a movie!

Love and Marriage

I was at a really beautiful wedding yesterday. Gladys and Trent - CONGRATS! It was so lovely to see them both get married. There was a lot of love and understanding there...

It reminded me of something I was thinking about a few days ago. You know you really love someone when you are no longer able to hate them. It doesn't matter what they do, you continue to love them and accept them the way they are. When you reach that point with someone, you are at a stage in life when your true potential and vulnerabilities begin to reveal themselves. You see the real you and it suprises you.

I think one of the differences between a successful arranged marriage and a successful non-arranged marriage is this; in a non-arranged union, you realise you cannot live without someone and so get married to them, while in a successful arranged marriage, you are already married to them, so you learn to love them for what they are. I think both marriages are equally beautiful in their own way.

Anyways, I had a lovely time at the wedding - Gladys and Trent, once again, you both looked gorgeous and Thankyou for a beautiful ceremony and reception!

Top Stories

I don't often watch the news - I read the paper when I get the chance, and I am one of those people who think that if something important happens, then I am bound to hear of it through some other source!

I watched quite a bit of news today. Let me summarise for you...

1. "Female Politicians need to dress better". It seems that Gillard has been criticised for not dressing "well". Hmmm... I think that bit of news was more of an "interest" piece than REAL news! I guess looks do go a long way though - we don't want it to, but they do!

2. "Hanson to make a return". Another story on Pauline Hanson. She must have been the "humour" story of the day! This morning on "Sunrise", she kept talking about setting "stricter immigration laws", without really stating how these laws will be made "stricter". I am not too sure about her. Sometimes she makes me angry and other times I feel sorry for her.

3. "Therapeutic Stem-Cell Research - bill is passed." It was passed despite both the parties uniting in saying "No". I think greater awareness about Therapeutic Cloning is the main reason for this "success". I have more to say on this, but I might hold those thoughts till I can compose them with more than just mere opinion.

4. "Olympian Gold Medalist Kevin Berry dies". To be honest, I don't know who he is. However, I heard a little story about him on the news which I thought gave some insight into the sort of person he was. Apparently, when he was 15, he and 3 other Olympic Swimmers went to meet the Pope. The Pope said to him, "Son, I can only fish souls out of the water - I can't swim." He replied, "Well! Come to Australia and I'll teach you how!". :)

Really that seems to be it! Much of the news at the moment is about the upcoming election. I am still not sure as to who I am going to vote for, but this year I have a few different things that I am looking out for...

A Smile...

Imagine this...

A 18 year old steps out onto the roads in a country where she knows no one, doesn't speak the language, and has never gone so far away from familiar territory. She has had a rough three days of travel and minus a few packs of "Le Snack", she has had nothing to eat.

She has a single address in her possession - and all phone numbers she has tried are either "Engaged", "Disconnected" or "Will be attended to after the Summer Break".

She is extremely worried, but she knows that she has to find her way to her University. She has money in the form of Travellers Cheques - the concept of which is very new to her, like everything else at that moment.

She walks out of the hotel, in search of a railway station. Lugging a 30Kg suitcase and a further 10kgs in hand bags, she finally makes it to "Centrum". She waits outside "Forex" - to convert money and is suddenly very very scared.

The feeling of utter helplessness must have shown on her face, for immediately a kind face looks to her and asks, "India se ho?". The girl nods feebly. The stranger then smiles at her.

It was that smile that kept me going during my time alone in a foreign country. It was that face that made me feel at home in a place that was nothing like home.

I spoke to Parveen - then stranger, now friend, a few days ago. Even as I speak to her now, I am truly overcome with emotion and I think "There must be a GOD somewhere who looks over me".

:D

The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

On the other hand, the French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.

Conclusion:
Eat and drink what you like. It is speaking English that kills you.

PS: I am liking this new "blogger"!

Today

Today I am feeling... scared! I can't think of a better word than that!

I am not someone who copes with change too well and the next few months are going to be too much change too fast. Everything seems to be in fast-forward right now. I don't even have time to reflect!

I know this is only a phase and I will get over it. I also go through phases of intense excitement and acute happiness... it is all part of grand plan I suppose...

I guess my "scared" phase is also my most productive phase, so maybe I shouldn't complain!

A Phone Conversation...

Me: Hello Appa! Eppadi irrukeenga??
MPA: Ennada, indha ponnu unnum ennaku message anapaliyeennu nenaichindu irundhaen!
Me: Illa - I wanted to call you, adhunaala thaan naan message anapalla.

More Talk...

Me: Aparam next enage pogaporeenga??
MPA: En kitta podavaikku vendiya colour elaam soliirukiyyee. Naan seriya vaangaati, enna thitta maatiyoo??
Me: Naan thitta maataen!
MPA: Illa ma! Thittanum! Adam pidichaa thaane ponnu??
Me: Appadi illa - ippo thitta maaten-nnu sollanum. Aana, podavai seriya ilaati kandippa kathuvaen!

I told my mum about the above conversation and she said, "Evaloo aasai-ya irukaa paaraen!".

If she had had any doubts before, I am sure they are no longer there.

I do consider myself truely lucky.

(I don't want to translate the above conversation - it somehow doesn't feel right. It was a conversation I had with Sudarshan's dad over the phone today. It is just an example of how loving his family is!)

Geography? ME???

I did almost no Geography in high School and deffinetly no Geography at Uni! The only Geography I have ever done was the compulsory two terms that we had to do in Yr.7 and Yr.8, and honestly I don't think I remember any of it. (I do remember giving a great talk on the Daintree Rain Forest with Nadia though!)

Today, I was tutoring one of my students and he said he had a couple of exams tomorrow and wanted to go through some stuff with me. He is in Yr.7 and so I asked him to come over. He came over and said, "Right! I want to know how to read weather charts!". I said, "Hmmm.... where are your notes on the topic?". He gave me his book and some 20 pieces of paper fell out - none of the sheets were complete and hardly anything was written on the subject!

I tried to tell him I knew nothing about the subject, but didn't want to stress him out a day before his exam. I gave him a few questions to do, quickly ducked into my room, Googled, "Reading Weather Charts", skimmed through a few websites and went back to explain it all to him!

How good am I??? :P Now I can read weather charts - Did you know that in the Southern Hemisphere, air spins colckwise at low pressure and anti-clockwise at high pressure???

We read a few different weather charts afterwards and predicted the weather at different places - now we both feel like we could do Tim Bailey's job - and do it without an accent!

At Work Today:

Note: We have quite a few people getting married in the lab over the next few months...

Rose: Shall I load your samples as I load mine?
Me: Are you sure? I can do it.
Rose: No No. I will do it - for the bride-to-be!
Me: Awww! Thankyou.

I then walked into the lab and announced loudly:

Me: ROSE IS LOADING GELS FOR ALL BRIDES TO BE!!!!
:P

Moral of the story: Never offer to help Vidya!

Sharada Ma

I attended a beautiful dance drama today. I really enjoyed it!

The drama was about Sharada - consort to Rama Krishna. The person who introduced the topic said something along the lines of "Sharada Devi was extraordinarily ordinary".

I thought the life history of a truly amazing person was extremely beautifully represented. I enjoyed it thoroughly and was left feeling extremely inspired...

I just wanted to thank all those people who put on such a beautiful show!

Hmmm...

"I could always fall in love with the person I marry... but I don't think I could ever bring myself to marry the person I think I love."

Happy...

While talking to Sudarshan today he was talking about how happy everyone is. It is so true. Everyone around me (and him) has been extremely happy today. I don't know the reason but it is all really lovely to see.

It has been smiles all around!

Pics!

Pics for those who asked...

The two of us - looking VERRYYY tired!

With the family

:D

I think this is the first time I am actually putting up pictures on this blog!

Something to say...

Hi All!

Gotta moment??? Just writing to let you all know that I am getting married on the 28th of Jan, 2007! Will update you guys on the exact details once I get back to Sydney!!

I am currently in India and will be going to Hyderabad tomorrow morning!!

Just want you all to know that I am EXTREMELY HAPPY!!!

Lots of love,
Vidya

Bye-Bye Sydney!

I am posting an early "bye bye" post because I won't have anytime over the weekend to update.

I am flying out of Sydney on Monday morning and will be getting to Bangalore on Monday night! People in Sydney - don't miss me too much :P People in India - WATCH OUT! :P

I am starting to get very exited about my trip now :D

I also feel more confident about my performance on Sunday, so I am all excited / stressed / happy!