tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72772997366757348282024-03-13T08:36:23.200+05:30Not So Perfect KarthiLife as I encounter, experience and enjoy itSreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.comBlogger270125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-26609723504709181602023-03-06T23:37:00.001+05:302023-03-06T23:37:03.845+05:303 Movie Reviews in 1: Nanpakal..., Romancham, and Pranaya Vilasam1. Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (Siesta) Lijo Jose Pellissery's movies are an acquired taste. Each movie is different and probably appeal to different temperaments. So when it came to Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, I was not sure what to expect. One weekend, DH and I gave up our own siesta to watch it.A group of Malayalis return from their pilgrimage from Velankanni in Tamil Nadu. The group leader JamesSreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-54458271005096722562023-02-17T19:27:00.003+05:302023-02-17T19:32:45.111+05:30Retirement of a favourite blogger...Rhonda Hetzel, author and long-time blogger decided to stop blogging for good this week. Over the years, her blog Down to Earth has been a source of great inspiration, archive of wholesome reading, gateway to more wholesome internet content, and a model on how to lead a satisfied and productive domestic life. The announcement made me very sad and it led to thinking about my own blog.Back when I Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-35124779426821677622022-11-04T22:01:00.001+05:302022-11-04T22:01:58.843+05:30Movie Review: Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya HeyIt has been a long time since I have been transported enough to write about a movie. Last Saturday, we caught Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey, directed by rookie Vipin Das. But boy, has he shown himself to be a master of the craft! The main factors that drew us as a family to watch the movie were the positive reviews on FM channels and the star cast. As I waited in front of the theater, DH Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-5451117905321766762022-08-31T17:04:00.000+05:302022-08-31T17:04:38.859+05:30Covid finally caught us...and taught me a new craft!We put up all the fortification we could and took all evasive action as dictated by health officials and common sense, alas, only to have the virus invade our family after two and a half years of pursuit. Starting with DH, we fell ill one by one at the end of July. The kids bounced back to normal routine after a week. Us elders however, found it very hard to make a quick comeback. One week Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-30389509151962104572022-01-29T19:49:00.002+05:302022-01-29T19:50:02.557+05:30Journey to Craft World aka The Craft Village at VellarIt has been flu fortnight here at Karthi, with DH succumbing first, then Ani, then Kunju and finally the nursemaid who was running around with thermometer, oxymeter, meds, hot water, and tissues. DH was tested for Covid twice and the results were negative, even though we have all the symptoms. Karthi is currently like an echo-cave. The cough starting in one room will set off an echo in several Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-68443964124834696882022-01-23T19:57:00.004+05:302022-01-24T10:58:57.492+05:30New dawn... new day... And the return of a prodigal!!!My life in the new year has been like the comic video of Jagathy Sreekumar that was doing the rounds during the first five days of 2022...I have a planner, I have a habit checklist printed out on an excel sheet, I have reminders on my phone, but when it is time produce something creative, such as a post on this blog, I fall back down, slouch, and then mutter, "I'll do it tomorrow."Which is not toSreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-76175022449022001462021-12-03T22:21:00.001+05:302021-12-03T22:28:55.597+05:30Ten books from my 2021 listMy 2021 reading list stands at book number 112. I almost missed adding the Audible books I listen to during my morning perambulations around Karthi. I sometimes wonder if I walk for the exercise or to listen to the books! Due to the heavy rains of the past month, I have not been able to complete my current Audible book and I look forward to doing it next week. So here are my favorites from Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-80306928729875496272021-10-15T21:37:00.001+05:302021-10-15T21:37:13.150+05:30Glimpses from two years...Compared to the photo folders starting from 2002, when we first switched to digital cameras, the one for 2020 is very sparse. Then, to my horror, I discovered that I had even omitted to make a folder for this year - 10 months into 2021! All our pictures are still on our phones and have not been synced. A mistake that I have sought to rectify. Along the way, I saw a few pictures that I wanted to Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-21286492479568414282021-10-01T20:21:00.002+05:302021-10-01T20:21:54.815+05:30Blooms in 2021...Phew! I have made it back to my blog before I completed one whole year of absence. Well, just about... Because as you can see, my last post was written on the 2nd of October, 2020. After that, I didn't feel like sharing anything on the blog. Instead, I dug deep into my cozy space and got entrenched in an effort to shut out the crazy world as much as possible. We have had our portion of Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-21949047393509916002020-10-02T17:21:00.003+05:302020-10-02T17:21:37.689+05:30Remembering the MahatmaToday morning I woke up weighed down by the political developments in the whole world. In one place, an egocentric bully is shouting down his opponent. In another, a power-hungry dictator is doctoring his country's elections and poisoning strong members of his opposition. Yet another wants to distract its populace from the consequences of crop failure, industrial backlash and other problems by Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-69511026016036386422020-08-07T20:14:00.001+05:302020-08-07T22:59:09.575+05:30Homeopathy at work at Karthi
The recent ruckus regarding the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies and ayurvedic medicines against Covid-19 is the inspiration for this post today. It seems that allopathic doctors are all riled up due to the state government recommending the use of homeopathic remedies as preventives. It is clear that they fear that these remedies will fail and that people emboldened by having taken the Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-90123472859224367262020-07-13T11:23:00.002+05:302020-07-13T11:26:25.374+05:30Working from home? Avoid this as much as possible!!!
One thing I have envied among several of my DH's admirable traits is his ability to drop off to sleep quite quickly. Once he decides to sleep, he folds his hands on his forehead for a few moments of prayer, then arranges himself on his back with his fingers neatly interlaced on his chest or lies on one side. The next thing you know, he is off gamboling among the sheep on the grassy meadows in Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-18602361409824870752020-06-27T22:28:00.000+05:302020-06-29T09:03:40.660+05:30Best among my reads in 2020!
Wow! I just can't believe we've completed six months of 2020—the year I was so looking forward to... But as I had written in the first post, this year certainly has been momentous!!! We have all been subjected to an unprecedented event that has had all of us—even the home-loving introverts like me—scrambling to adapt and adjust. The new norms are bearable, but still take a lot of getting used Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-70765303193502853152020-06-12T19:26:00.000+05:302020-06-12T19:28:57.214+05:30Two finished projects
The past two weeks at Karthi have been busy with the kiddos returning to some semblance of schooling. The end of May and beginning of June saw us scrambling to get electronic devices suited for both to attend either live classes via Microsoft Teams (elder) or recorded classes via the school website (younger). Naturally, we have cut down TV time to after 7 pm and Prime only on the weekends, justSreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-90428336427258571612020-05-23T23:34:00.000+05:302020-05-23T23:34:10.178+05:30And today I realised...
I was gearing up to tell you what the denizens of Karthi are up to in the fourth phase of the lockdown. Then I checked the date and it rang a bell. I went back to the list of posts and went to the very last page and found... Yes! It has been ten years since I started blogging!!!
Why am I excited? Because it is very seldom that I stick to something productive and good for me. As many of you Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-91955031278863499852020-04-25T19:02:00.000+05:302020-04-25T19:20:27.996+05:30Living with anosmia
Yes, that is supposed to read the way it is written, I was NOT trying to write 'amnesia'. "Anosmia", as Google tells me, is "the loss of the sense of smell, either total or partial. It may be caused by head injury, infection, or blockage of the nose." That pretty little nose you see in my profile picture? Yes, it is only decorative in purpose, because I do not have any memory of sensing Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-15321649327643358102020-04-18T16:55:00.001+05:302020-04-18T17:00:11.231+05:30Safe at home - 4th week of lockdown...
In the past two weeks, I saw the Fridays come and go with me not posting on my blog here. I found myself struggling with work on a tough assignment and it left me averse to spending any more time at the computer than I absolutely had to. The first week of the lockdown went by in a tizzy of making sure we had all the supplies we needed as well as making sure our loved ones are okay. With the Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-32572963102197820992020-03-28T18:33:00.000+05:302020-03-28T18:44:09.001+05:30List-making in the time of Corona
Lists are so calming to make. Especially in times like these when we can see no end-date to the difficulties that we are facing. My bullet journal is now being filled up with lists of different kinds. Permit me to share just a couple of them with you today.
Things that I am absurdly grateful for, in no particular order:
Kerala's healthcare system
My family's health
Being in the country Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-39833827138367596742020-03-20T19:57:00.000+05:302020-03-20T19:57:38.745+05:30The elephant in the room...
Till today, I have been avoiding this topic on purpose so that I can send out happy, frivolous tidbits that can lift the spirits of those who read my musings...
I don't know about you all... On my phone's browser, a page has been open for a week now. Every 12 hours or so, I pull it down from the top to refresh it. The loading bar travels its path from the left to the right. What I get at Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-47493775701750749082020-03-13T20:18:00.000+05:302020-03-20T20:08:21.415+05:30Why I don't subscribe to the martyr mom persona
I fell in love with English literature at the age of fifteen. Two years later, I fell in love with the guy who was to become my best friend and partner for life. I would have been extremely happy with these two loves. Looking around at the lives that I see now, I am extremely grateful that I still have these two in my life. But time had kept aside a truly wonderful gift for me. At the ageSreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-62714853810743310982020-03-06T16:48:00.001+05:302020-03-06T16:48:14.549+05:30And the cats keep coming...
Akrami has not come back so far. Last week, as we came back home, the kids saw a similarly colored cat running away from our porch. All of us ran after him calling out loud, but of course it was not him. A few weeks ago, DH finally broke down and asked our neighbor about him and she too said that she felt he was gone because he didn't come around whenever fish was delivered at her home. But twoSreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-87680830388273957852020-02-28T18:51:00.001+05:302020-06-12T18:29:35.696+05:30February sum up!
Whew, what a month this has been! As usual, February started off with my birthday and a week's worth of book hauls. First there were these:
I got Ikigai, Lagom and The Ivory Throne as birthday gifts. Autographed copies of Why I am a Hindu, The Cliffhangers, Yoga Mythology and Faith as well as Chain of Custody were bought from MBIFL. Then Kunjunni and I came to know of Ente Book Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-55581833041463830552020-02-14T19:07:00.002+05:302020-02-15T06:41:26.842+05:30From my Bookshelf - The Cliffhangers by Sabin Iqbal
This year, I am resurrecting a long-dormant section of this blog. What is a bookworm to do but review books?
There are quite a few reasons why I bought this book from MBIFL. First of all, I had seen the author as he had been one of the organizers of the writers' workshop that I had mentioned earlier. Also, the novel is set in a place that is close to us - Varkala, one of the most Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-90453243493018429622020-02-07T16:33:00.000+05:302020-02-07T20:11:44.462+05:30Brimming with literary energy
As promised, I am back with pictures and impressions of the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters also known as MBIFL. For those who are not in the know, this year the capital city hosted the third edition of the festival. Kanakakkunnu Palace veritably turned into a palace of letters...
This time I was determined to visit the festival at least three out of four days, so I booked Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277299736675734828.post-32956952166662895792020-01-31T21:08:00.000+05:302020-01-31T21:08:04.935+05:30Books Kon Mari-ed!!!
Today's post is a placeholder of sorts. This week has been hectic with the Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters, the third edition of the literary festival held at the Kanakakkunnu Palace Grounds here in Thiruvananthapuram. It is, without doubt, the best thing in the year for me, because it is held during the first weekend of February and my birthday is on the first of February. This Sreekala N Nayarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02502065767341424274noreply@blogger.com0