The bangles

When  you're with the right people, and surrounded by those who really want you to be happy, even the simplest ceremony can be eventful. :)

The bangles ceremony is an Indian version of baby shower. It is usually done during the 7th month of first pregnancy. Why only first pregnancy? I don't know and no one seems to know the answer either :P

The main highlight of the ceremony are the colorful glass bangles adorning the mother-to-be arms. My bangles ceremony was held on the first Sunday of October at my in-laws home. About hundred of close relatives and friends turned up for the event. The preparation, however, started months back! For the first time, I actually enjoyed preparing for something. Since the ceremony was being held at my in-laws side, host of relatives, neighbors, and friends got together to help my husband and myself to prepare for the ceremony. Most of the time, the husband hardly plays any role in this ceremony as it was considered exclusively for "women only". But then, my husband was the main mastermind behind all the work.

He prepared the house and decorated the living room very nicely for the ceremony. Weeks before the ceremony, we made plans for the food catering and gifts for the guests. We decided to forgo the usual "nallungu set" and bought 24cm stainless steel plates instead. The plates was the base for the gift set which consisted the yellow thread, some glass bangles, packed laddu, and a coin pouch which was handpainted. Each coin purse had some sweets in it and was tagged with our thank you note. 

It was a joyous event for me. I felt happy seeing my family, friends and relatives coming together to put the event in place. My husband also got for me and the baby a gift which was very thoughtful :) By the end of night, my arms were filled with colorful glass bangles! A friend baked a really delicious red velvet cake for me to celebrate. 

We ended the ceremony with the cake cutting and feeding ceremony.  :))

Purple and White

All I needed to make my day today. Very, very beautiful flowers and very thoughtful indeed. I have been feeling under the weather this past few days and a bunch of fresh flowers brightened up my day

Travel + Photography + Gorilla Pod

Inspiration!

24.08.2012

The Hot Ticket

It has been quite some time since I've gotten myself a new pair of shoes. The last pair I bought was in 2008 - a pair of Hush Puppies which Sathyan got for me after much persuasion (he was persuading me to buy one, not the other way round!). 

The shoe served well for 4 years! That's what you get when you pay a premium price for something that is really good - it lasts for as long as it could. In fact, the shoe is still in good condition - except for the sole, which is worn out due to daily use. Yes, I used it every single day for 4 years.

I have been scouting for a good pair to replace my worn out HP shoes but it appears to me, Hush Puppies are going backwards in style - their latest collection is called HP1958 and God-knows why anyone born in the 80s would even think of buying one. The designs doesn't appeal to me anymore. So, time to move on then.

I did most of my search online, as I didn't really have the time to look for the shoes in the malls. I dropped by Adidas, Puma and Nike - found one or two that looked appealing... but wasn't calling out... come buy me...

In the end I found what I wanted at Skechers! These are called Biker shoes (because it is laced up already). When I was trying to put it on, it was difficult at first, but the moment my feet got in, the shoe snugged it and it felt really comfortable. That alone screamed, "Buy me!!" :)

I feel the design is just so very cool. I have not taken this out yet - planning to tomorrow, and let's see how well it stands up to my torture. It really is a great shoe and it works well for casual everyday use, running errands or even light workouts at the gym (I consider my workouts at the gym as light).

By the way, the shoe is called Hot Ticket. I didn't invent the title up :P 

Also, thank you to the wonderful soul who actually paid for this shoe! Yes, my pocket didn't get hurt this time as well :) Hehe...

Top 5 Applications on my Android

I have a total of four (yes, four) Android devices out of which three are in constant daily use. 

I have two mobile Androids running Gingerbread and Ice Cream, and one tablet running Ice Cream. One more mobile runs Froyo. So here's a list of top 5 application that is a must in all my devices (and these are FREE!).

Feedly

This is my favorite application of all. A news reader with a simple interface and so easy to use. The best part is, it integrates nicely with my Google Reader account. On my tablet, this applications turns my news feed into a magazine-like browsing experience. Highly recommended if you have plenty of reading materials that you follow online.

Million Moments

I had to admit Android's version of Gallery, although not the worse, but isn't the best either. And that is why I love Million Moments - it's yet another application for photos but with ease of use and has a wonderful layout! I just need to create some labels (for example, "food") and every time I take a picture of food (more often I do), I just have to tag the picture with the labels. What the application does, it turns the labels into wonderful "photobook" like gallery.

Any.DO
Having too many things to track is no longer a hassle with Any.DO for me. I add list of things I have to do in this simple little app and it keeps track everything for me, and reminds me when I do forget. I can strike out things I've completely and a shake clears everything done from the screen! The interface is simple, easy and clean. New version includes sync-ing with your Google Tasks. My favorite feature is the phone reminder (keeps track of missed calls and reminds me when I have to return a call).

Dolphin Browser HD
Chrome is one of my favorite software on my PC, but on my Androids Dolphin takes the reign being the best browser for awesome functionality and ease of use (easy for me that is, but it could still be intimidating for those who even think IE is daunting). It's just a browser, but there are so very little browsers out there that works properly on Android platform, so this one takes home my vote for being the best one (crashes less).

StumbleUpon
Given an option, I would want this application to be my #1 favorite app in Google Play. Unfortunately, this is also the most unstable application out there, but then again, I can't live without it. StumbleUpon is something that was discovered by Sathyan on its early days and he always shares a lot of interesting "stumbles" that he stumbles upon. It's one of the apps that I'd recommend to people who messages me, "I'm bored". So, if you're always boring bored and had to do something with your hands in a good way, have this installed, choose your interests and have fun exploring what's out there in the world wide web! :)

So there you have it, now you know what Leena uses on her mobile devices all the time. It is interesting to note that there are people who are keen to find out what application I have installed on my Androids. Of course these are not the only ones I have. Probably when I have more time at hand, I'll try to come up with Top 5 Android games installed on my Androids. 

Na na naaa

Yummy Red Velvet

I am not really a fan of cakes. But I do love those that comes with ice creams (mud-pie types and ice cream cakes). So, it was indeed surprising to even myself that one day I decided to have coffee and cake at The Coffee Bean.

The cake was really sweet - and the only reason I chose that over the rest was because, it looked different. Almost like out-from-a-recipe-book kind of look. So, Leena must photograph it (even though she couldn't finish eating it in the end).

This was taken some time back in April. I finally had the time to process and upload it today.

Had some time to kill...

... and decided to have these uploaded.

Dessert selection at Eastin Hotel, Penang

My Sprocket Rocket!

Lotus at a Buddhist temple, Thailand

Artisan sculpting Lord Ganesh's statue, Thailand

Close up of the dessert, again.

Copyrights reserved.

I ate this.

All you need is a little sweetness in your life...

A cake should do the trick. :P

And it's finally mine!

Yes, after much anticipation and going through the agony of waiting for an awesome piece of technology product to be released, I have finally owned Asus Transformer Prime - on the day it was released in Malaysia. The sweet, sweet smell of the Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0 by the way, for the non-geeks out there) is just sublime. 

If you've been wanting to get your hands on one and did not go beyond a demo unit (probably because you were being asked to wait few weeks for a new stock or was not sure this is the tablet for you), I deplore you my friend. I truly am saddened by your fate.

Anyway, to further rub the salt here's a box picture of my new gadget which I named CJ7 (which stands for Cherry Jubilee flavor from Baskin Robbins. Why 7? Go figure :P)

 The box

And this is the real product - designed the way a tablet should be. My CJ7 is in champagne - exactly the color that I wanted. 

So I've been using this tablet for almost 2 weeks now and I simply love it. The camera is just good (8MP at the back), the extended battery power by docking it to the keyboard is smart, the display is just awesome not to forget the Gorilla glass thing. Tegra 3 wasn't much of a remarkable feat but it's nice to know my tablet is powered by a quad-core processor (which basically runs 4 times faster than any other tablets out there). ICS 4.0 is just delicious. MicroSD slot, and most importantly, SD card slot and USB port which means I can expand my storage to whatever space my external HDD supports! Really cool. Really, really cool.

I would recommend this tablet to any photogs and book worms out there. I can finally view my pictures instantly on a good display out from the SD card instead of using my PC to transfer my pictures to the tablet. And I can finally purchase ebooks to read on my tablet. I just love it.

So, is your stomach burning yet? Hehe...

On Gadgets

These past few weeks I have been getting lots of things. Topping up the list are gadgets. I'm a girl with loads of gadgets surrounding me all the time. 

Let me begin with the my Sprocket Rocket camera! It is actually a lomography camera which is something that I have been wanting to own for a very long time! When it finally became mine, it was surreal. So surreal that I am yet to use it because I'm still trying to grasp the fact that I now own a lomo camera! :) Here's a picture I took from the web of my lomo camera. It came with rolls of film as well.

For the couple of months I have been working on a plan for a backpacking trip. The challenge is, I am definitely bringing my Nikon D7000 with me (why wouldn't I?) and I definitely need a tripod. But the Jusino tripod that I have is too big and heavy for me to bring on the trip. So I decided to get a Joby's Gorilla Pod from Amazon.com. Here's a picture of the tripod

I think this is probably one of the best photographic equipment ever invented for people like me of course. It snaps to anywhere, like poles and chairs, etc. Definitely will be useful for those self-portraits for my lonely travels. :)

So this post is dedicated to Puspa (since she wanted me to update something for her reading sake :P)

There's no beginning and no ending

It began where it ended. It ended where it began. Confusing life isn't it?

That's how my mind is right now. I am confused. Very.

Very.

Sometimes, you just wish some things don't happen but when it does you're glad it did. Then comes a point that tells you whether this is right? Am I doing the right thing? Some tells yes, some tells no. Heart says go, brain says what, no! As you spend endless nights figuring out what's the best for you, suddenly a single twist of event throws you back to where you started.

I look at my life with a simple principle - what makes me happy? Of course it has always been, what makes Sathyan happy (first) then comes what makes me happy. Almost always, anything that makes him happy, will definitely make me happy. Now, it's just me and that's a good thing, I believe. It's easier for me to make decisions. :)

About couple of months back, I went to Singapore. My dad was totally against it, because I told him I was bringing Sathyan with me. It was a time when Sathyan was finally out of hospital and was yearning to get out and explore. I know it wouldn't be too difficult for me to give him that. :) So I did all the arrangements, spoke to his primary doctor, got all the approval ready and we were ready to board. Yet, my dad was still furious. He was worried about Sathyan's safety more than anything else (more than his own daughter's, if I may emphasis :)). He ended his argument with his famous warning words, "Do whatever you want. If anything happens, YOU are responsible. Don't expect me to fix anything for you."

I know how much it meant for my husband who was confined within hospital walls for more than 18 months. My heart told me the trip will make him happy and that in turn will make me happy too. So, against my dad's will for the first time in my life, we went. I kept a positive outlook that everything will be OK. It was Sathyan's last trip. 

I am glad I followed what my heart told me - I knew what will make me happy and Sathyan enjoyed himself so much. He loved being out there taking photographs. I fulfilled his wish to take a night shot of the Marina Bay. He almost couldn't, wanting to give up - but I kept pushing him, because I knew it was something that he always wanted to do. We did target for a dusk shot, but at least this is better than nothing. :)

Marina Bay night shot by Sathyan Ram

He had the best Nasi Lemak of his life (best in my life too) at Singapore's 60's Food Trail. The two of us had the best time of our lives in Singapore. Despite his illness which was never cured, he managed to walk, jump, run and still massage my feet by the end of the day (because he knew how much I tried to catch up with him :)). He was so full of life. Some probably heard the term live life like there's no tomorrow. My Sathyan showed me how to do it :)

So, that single experience taught me a valuable lesson in my life. We often worry unnecessarily (like how my dad reacted). More often we conclude something might just fail even before trying it.What if I get lost? What if it gets delayed? What if it doesn't arrive? What if it doesn't work? What if it fails? The worse thing that can happen to anyone's life is their own death. If you're already dying, then nothing else matters.

"Just Live." - Sathyan

Note: I know I have been posting a lot about Sathyan this past few weeks, as much as I tried not to. It's just hard for me to look at my life without having him in it. I may have moved on, but he will always be a part of my life. Hence, if you're still reading this blog - put up with it please :P

Mayakkam Enna? (Why Dizzy?)

So aptly titled. Well you will go dizzy for sure after watching this movie. It is so full of twists!

[SPOILER ALERT!] :)

First of all, let me warn you - what follows next may contain spoiler bits, so if you're planning to catch this movie this weekend, stop reading and go do something else. And come back some other day when you think you've finally finished watching the movie. There you go spoiler #1 - it really is a movie that felt it took days for me to finish watching. Of course it was for only three hours. It just felt that long - days long. So long that at one point I thought the movie ended - but it was just the intermission. Even Lord Of the Rings didn't feel this long!

Ok, moving on to why I decided to watch the movie. I am such a choosy person when it comes to movie. When I spend money for entertainment, it has to be worth it - worth my money and my time. So there must be some form of ROI involved. This movie is about an aspiring photographer, how he met his wife and how the two of them - as husband and wife - stood through the test of time.

What I liked about this movie is the visuals. It's exactly like viewing from the camera's viewfinder. For me, the world looks surprisingly different from a camera's viewfinder, so this movie can definitely show you how that world looks like :)

Secondly, the movie somehow reminds me of my relationship with Sathyan. :) Of course, minus the physical abuse and drinking habits and the violence and verbal abuse. There you go, spoiler alert #2. There is this one song in the movie that shows what kind of things a photographer's wife would do (or rather had to do) and I just couldn't stop smiling.

Also, the movie portrayed how crazy we photographers are! Yes, you want to know how crazy we can get? Watch this movie and find out. The first part of the movie was really entertaining - very funny! Especially the first song - voda voda voda :)

Alright, moving to what I didn't find quite amusing - the second part of the movie is quite eerie. Suddenly it turned to something sad and scary. And a lot of things started not to make sense. I felt the director was trying to imply that even if your husband abuses - physically or emotionally - you still have to be this good wife who had to endure everything and stay in marriage. I'm totally against this - I don't think anyone should withstand abuse in any form. The movie went on to show that if you stay long enough good thing will happen. 

Yes, in the movie world, not in mortal world like ours. People will never change, they are what they are and that's how it is. Suck it up and deal with it rationally. If you have always been afraid of cockroaches, you will always be afraid of cockroaches. Do you think one day you will wake up and find out suddenly you are no longer scared of those damn, good-for-nothing God's creation? I'm sure you will not. Well, I won't for sure. So there, spoiler #3 - Leena hates cockroaches. :)

Overall, the ending was heartwarming. My advice is, if you plan to catch this movie (in case you're still reading despite the warnings), do it at the cinema. The reason is simple - you will never watch it in full from a DVD - you'd be too tempted to fast forward. Haha :)

Next on my list, Nanban! :)

One Sunday Morning

Copyright Leena Ganesh

Finally, I made the time to get back into my photography. I took this picture today morning at Penang Hill, while the morning dew still fresh - the whole place felt rejuvenated. Best viewed large.

 Copyright Leena Ganesh

 Copyright Leena Ganesh

I woke up at 4.30am today to catch the sunrise but it was a cloudy morning, unfortunately. It was also drizzling. After much attempt (my first attempt to shoot during twilight hours) I felt I did a pretty good job with the picture below. I wouldn't go on bragging how awesome the picture is (I know it's not :P) but I felt a sense of satisfaction looking at my final result - a picture taken without a tripod! Sathyan would have been proud of me - I've honored his last wish :)

Copyright Leena Ganesh