DEAR LITTLE TREASURES

How often do we take stock of the trivia that have been 'living' with us? We do acknowledge them with a smile or a touch now and then. It was during the recent 'repaint the house' project that all my collectibles came together and vied for my attention. As I lovingly tried to bring back their original sparkle, each took me for a stroll down memory lane .......

Allow me to present glimpses of some of the exclusive stuff that have been occupying a space of their own at our place. Not necessarily dear cost-wise but definitely dear to our hearts. Not huge or expensive but definitely unique and irreplaceable.

You see I have these shells - from my parents. The shell lamp is a souvenir of my father's tenure in Port Blair as Principal Engineer in the sixties - custom-made; he had very thoughtfully got one made for the parents as well as for us children. 

So it became a part of my 'dowry' and is still sitting pretty in our showcase. I know you will get better ones from the sophisticated shops in Andamans now but there is a part of my father in this nearly fifty year old piece! 

Coming to this second shell, it must be around 35 years old. 

This is custom-made too - it has my name on it. My mother had got such souvenirs for her children when they had once visited Kanyakumari. Again not a big deal but a sweet gesture! And I still have it on display at home.

Trophies and mementos are treasured by most of us. I want to tell you only about my unique collectibles.

I have had this cute little trophy which reads 'Best Teacher Trophy'.

It is a simple 4 inch bone china trophy gifted by a group of my students - I'm ashamed to admit I don't remember the students who gifted me this nor the year. Must be in the early 90's. Again not costly but so very endearing that you will love it when you see it! 

We are saddled with a large number of mementos - reminders of our activities in College of Military Engineering where hubby served for several years. Though they are nothing like A R Rahman's collection of trophies, they do take us down memory lane and help relive the prime time of our lives. So I still have them lined up in some corner of the house as I don't have the heart to discard them. 

                               

                                         

Again they are special. My hubby has mementos for his association with the plays put up year after year and a few for the Musical Evening too. 

As for my part, I have reminders of my prize-winning Phool Rangoli entries at the annual Flower Show in the campus. 

They would flood my mind with nostalgic memories about my ambitious projects year after year. I started the first year on a humble note by making a 'Kathakali' face with flowers and was happy to get the second prize. The next year it was a 5 x 4 ft butterfly which brought me the first prize. The following year I became over-ambitious - made two - Kathakali dancer as well as Appu the elephant and bagged the first and second prizes! My my, I do sound boastful, don't I? 

When I look back on those efforts I really wonder how I managed to do that. Of course my hubby and school-going boys did lend a hand in procuring colorful flowers ( from our garden as well as friends') and helping me get them in small pieces and sort them out in separate plastic bags. Also in making the stencil for the rangoli. The flowers for each part would be pre-decided but there was always this doubt whether there were sufficient flowers for the whole rangoli. Adding to the tension was the time factor - without a help, I had to finish by 8 am - so I'd start as early as 5 am. Hubby would come around 7.30 to inquire if I needed any more flowers. When the mega efforts were rewarded, the house would be agog with exhilaration.  The next couple of days would witness me limp and my cramped legs would beg for mercy!

The boys have brought home their share of trophies too. Most of them are tucked away in a box in the loft - just a few are within arm's reach.

My sons are particularly nostalgic about their trophies earned in CME for various campus activities.

I have preserved them all ......

but my favorites are senior's Best Outgoing Student Trophy - it still looks so shiny within though tarnished outwardly.....

and Junior's cute silver Memento from Agarwal Classes for his 66th rank in IIT-JEE. 

I also have this big airtight plastic container. Well this was what my elder son got for coming first in cycle race on a Children's Day celebration in the early 80's - he was disappointed with his prize but it has stood the test of time!

I still use it to store the mixture / chakli prepared during Diwali or even to store fried pappadam during family get-togethers. It is still airtight. 

Another interesting collection that we have is that of Hot Wheel cars - prized possession of my younger son. As a boy, he'd keep adding to his collection with his pocket money. 

                                     

He'd be so careful with them that even a small dent would break his heart and he'd be seen 'nursing' the car with concern. Needless to say he'd not share them with anyone except his brother! I have still treasured the good ones. He still remembers which of them are the smoothest and shows them off to his kids when he comes on holidays.

After my kids were born, my mom handed me two stainless steel possessions which had been bought for me by my paternal grandma when I was a kid. 

One is a an early version of the 'sippy cup' ( called 'kindi'). This was bought for me when I broke my chin as a four year old and found difficulty in drinking milk from the glass. 

Another is a small steel 'thookku' which was my first 'lunchbox' - I remember my grandma packing pieces of steamed 'nendrapazham' (big Kerala plantain) for snack when she put me in Nursery school. Both of these items have my name in Malayalam - interestingly it is 'Vrinda' (interestingly it was my grandma who had chosen my name)!

As mentioned earlier I am only highlighting the really unique possessions among all my valuable 'inheritance'! My maternal grandma visited us in the mid seventies, a few years after my marriage and enjoyed a week with us. Among other gifts, she had given me a green plastic container with lid - I have many steel 'doonga's but a plastic one is unique! 

                                     

I still use it to keep some stuff. You won't believe it but the color hasn't faded to this day.

My paternal grandfather was a voracious reader; he would gift us classics during every visit and make sure we read them. Of course I have them all with me. But I'd like to make special mention of the Oxford English Dictionary he gifted me and my brother 51 years ago. 

I think I use it even today more than any present-day student!

Next in the list is my maternal grandpa. He was a prim-n-proper gentleman, suited and booted for formal occasions and wearing 'pattu veshti' and 'angavastram' for traditional functions. For his 'sashtiabdapoorthi' (60th birthday) which was celebrated on a grand scale, silk saris were purchased for all relatives. I was 13 then and I was also getting a sari. They took me to Nalli's and wanted me to select mine. I have always loved grand saris, so I chose the grey Kanchipuram sari with tomato red border with grand jari. 

Grandpa pointed to a light green one - I liked it but it didn't have that much jari. The price for my selection was marginally more but I knew it  was not an issue. But the color was - Thatha felt grey wouldn't suit me. But I was in no mood to relent, so grandma put in a word for me and Thatha gave in. I still don't know how much he approved of my choice but it has elicited compliments whenever I drape it. Even after 49 years, it still looks so rich and beautiful!

This was just a sample of my store of little treasures and souvenirs sharing space with us. Not antiques but exclusive personal 'treasures' - 'heirlooms-in-the-making' perhaps?!

                                     

AT CAROLINA BEACH

                                        

Both sets of parents were visiting our son's family in North Carolina - and we had an overlap of a week. It was then that all of us set off for Carolina Beach. It wasn't our first visit to that beach - our entire family had been there during an earlier visit - we had then checked in at the Courtyard Marriott right on the beach and had a swell time. This time it was going to be a different experience. What was special during this trip was that we were 'carrying our home' to the beach! We were planning to cook simple, homely Indian meals at our 'cottage' - among three couples and two half-tickets, it promised a lot of fun-filled moments!

Our son and daughter-in-law had booked a sprawling 3 bedroom house for the jing-bang of six adults and two kids. It was a full-fledged house with all amenities. The plan was to cook at home during our stay. So we packed Indian groceries from home along with some typical utensils for our Indian cooking - pressure cooker and rice cooker. The rest of the pots and pans and cutlery would be available at the house. The kids had packed their load of beach stuff including their brand new surf boards. We had planned to pick up regular groceries on approaching Carolina Beach.

Every place in the US - big or small has some of the chain stores for groceries as well as for home-stuff. So we procured the stuff we'd need for our 2 1/2 days' stay - bread, eggs & accessories, milk, tea, coffee, sugar, drinks, yogurt, oil,veggies - fresh as well as frozen, fruits and ready-to-eat snacks like cookies and dry fruits. Each one of us went about picking what might be needed, so we ended up with a big booty! Of course we had also packed all the yummy Indian snacks that had landed with us from India. 

                                           

We reached the house which was bang on the beach - this was one of the three similar houses. And it was at a stone's throw from Courtyard Marriott! This house was a two-storeyed sprawling house given on rent to tourists. Basically two different sets of tenants could rent one house. One set would be given the entire ground floor and half portion of the first floor. The second set would be alloted the second half of the first floor and the entire second floor: basically 1 1/2 floors for each set of tenants. We were the second set - occupying the second floor with a big kitchen and dining hall, a very spacious living room cum family room with a terrace overlooking the sea, and one bedroom. There were a flight of steps internally leading to the first floor where we had two bedrooms with attached bathrooms; one of the bedrooms had a terrace facing the beach. And there was a laundry room too with washer & dryer. The building had an elevator but it looked very crude. And to top it, at the very outset, it didn't oblige us. Climbing two flights of stairs was not a big problem for most of us. Only my daughter-in-law's mother had a knee problem, so she chose to wait for the lift to be set right. And it was - before we had even finished unloading the stuff from the car. The bedroom on the second floor was offered to our senior counterparts, so they wouldn't have to take the stairs down to their bedroom. 

                                            

Our bedroom was the one with a small terrace, with the view - of the sea shore. 

                                         

Relaxing on our bed, we could flit our eyes between the dancing waves through the french windows and the shows on TV. Cool, ain't it? And with two munchkins joining us, the fun became multifold - we could grab such moments only when the rain gods chose to drive the beach-bums indoors! 

                                             

The kiddos were impatient to be in the waters - who could resist the beckoning waves and spend more minutes indoors? We quickly stuffed them and ourselves with sandwiches and willingly allowed ourselves to be dragged to the seashore. We didn't mind the 5 o'clock sun as we could cool our limbs in the lashing waves. But my daughter-in-law thoughtfully booked a set of beach chairs and a parasol for the next day. The beach was crowded but not overcrowded. My grand daughter enjoyed showing off her 'surfing skills' as she managed to balance herself on the waves. 

                                         

Her younger brother held on to his surf board and wouldn't allow it to get wet! Nor did he like the idea of getting himself wet! 

                                          

He then settled himself on the beach and enjoyed using his beach toys to make tunnels and castles, even as big sister intermittently joined him for supervision or suggestions. 

Courtyard Marriott hotel is in the background at the far right

                                     

He did change his mind and eventually befriended the constantly beckoning waves! After letting the waves kiss our feet till they started getting wrinkled, we ladies quietly sneaked away to cook dinner before the rest of the gang realized they were hungry. 

                                         

My daughter-in-law realized she had forgotten to pack the inner vessel of the rice cooker. No big deal - only the rice had to be made in one of the big pots. The three of us took charge of one item each - and in less than 45 minutes, piping hot dinner of rice, 'paruppu' (for the kids), thick tomato rasam, and mixed vegetable fry was ready, and laid out on the large dining table for 8 along with accompaniments like yogurt, pickles, Lays chips .... - a full-fledged South Indian meal. The brat pack was back after a mini shower right outside the house, so that minimum sand sneaked into the house. After another quick shower, and changing into comfy clothes, everybody plonked themselves on their chairs for the family dinner. It was indeed a quick dinner - everything was lapped up without a word of protest (from the kiddos I mean). 

                                              

Post-dinner, all of us chilled out in front of the big TV and enjoyed some cartoons with the kids. Meanwhile my daughter-in-law collected all the wet clothes for a quick wash in the washing machine, so they'd be ready for the next day at the beach. Soon all of us were ready to hit the bed, so we said our good-nights and went to our bedrooms. Both of us stood gazing for some time at the incessantly lashing waves and the star-studded skies. We observed the night patrol driving along the beach to turn away the few odd ones still lingering on the beach.

                                    

Both of us have always been early birds. We were ready for our morning walk as usual before 6. Only this time it was a nice walk along the beach. It was fun to watch the quickly changing hues of the sky from grey to pink, to orange and bright yellow as the sun started rising. There were just an odd couple here and there. And yes, birds were there - sometimes even running ahead of us as quick as their twig-like thin legs could carry them! Romance was in the air as we walked hand in hand, letting the waves wash our legs and drag our feet into the sand as the waves receded - the ticklish-

dizzy feeling in the feet is a unique experience. In between, I also indulged in my favorite pastime of collecting seashells on the deserted shore.

When we returned after an hour-long walk, the house was just stirring. Others were envious of our pristine walk and resolved to accompany us the next morning. For breakfast, we used the dosa batter we had carried from home along with 'molagappodi' (spiced chutney powder). Some had dosas, others had for toast and eggs. After a sumptuous breakfast, washed down with a cuppa, all of us got ready for the beach. 

The first house on the left in the background was 'our' house

                                       

Our chairs and umbrella were waiting for us on the beach right in front of our house. All of us cavorted on the beach as the sun was low and made the most of the forenoon hours. When we elders never got tired of the waves and sand, what to say about the kids? 

                                             

No need to say they had a blast riding the waves with daddy or building sand castles with mamma as the grandparents watched them indulgently. We had packed some snacks in our backpacks to munch in between. Around mid-morning, the ladies again vanished to take up their kitchen duties after a quick shower. We opened cans of chickpeas and made a potload of chana masala using minimum onions so that we wouldn't stink up the place. A large pot of steaming hot vegetable pulao and chana along with chips and salad and yogurt and pickle sat invitingly on the dining table and the hungry stomachs relished everything. The dishwasher took care of the dirty dishes.

We chilled for an hour. We had planned another round of the beach at 4 but as luck would have it, the rain gods chose to play spoilsport! 

The yellow umbrellas are still out there on the beach ......

                                       

Suddenly the sky turned black with flashes of lightning to the accompaniment of thunder. The black clouds made night of day even as the winds started raging. As we remembered the hired chairs on the beach, we went to the terrace and noticed that all of them were being collected in the vehicle of the company - quick, efficient work! Also the coast guards made several rounds to make sure no daredevils still lingered on the beach. 

The sky cleared as quickly as it had darkened and turned benign towards the beach-bums in an hour! Once again the beach started buzzing with people. We could spend a couple of hours there. I joined my grand daughter in collecting shells in ziplocs - I was interested in the halves dreading the ones from which some little creature would wiggle out, but she wanted those which housed some little creature! I knew that only some ziplocs would make it to home - the others would 'get lost' during our return trip - no thanks to my son! For dinner the kids had a great treat - pasta was made specially for them. For the adults, we opened packets of uncooked chapathis (from the Indian store) and heated them. So it was chapathi - chana - shrikhand, yogurt and pickle.... yummy!  We lounged in the living room for a good chit-chat and also spent some time listening to the sea for half an hour before retiring for the night.

                                   

The next morning too we had a nice long beach-walk. Then after a short beach-time with the kids, it was pack-up time. The clothes went in for a quick wash. We made vegetable upma (minus onion) for breakfast and also finished the dosa batter. We used the leftover slices of bread to make sandwiches for the drive back. You wouldn't believe it but all the groceries and foodstuff we had brought with us had been  well utilized - we ended up dumping very little. We ran the dishwasher once we were done with our breakfast. My son and daughter-in-law did a quick sweep to clear the place of sand. You see the culture there is to make sure the the place is clean when you leave - almost as clean as you found it when you arrived.

As we started back on our drive, we bid goodbye to the waves and sands with a heavy heart even as we wished we could take them home with us . 

         

                                         
                                         

LAS VEGAS REVISITED

Las Vegas, one of the most visited cities of the world, is a dream city by all means - for various reasons. Many go there to satisfy their craving for gambling, some for the night life, some to get married, others on official work and others to admire the wonderful grandeur of the city with its imposing hotels lining the Strip! No prizes for guessing which category I belong to!

We had visited Las Vegas during our first visit to the US in 2000 when both our sons were students and I fell in love with it. If at all I wanted to revisit any place it was undoubtedly Las Vegas! Different tourist spots found place in our itinerary during our subsequent visits. Vegas figured in our recent trip. To say that I was excited to revisit Vegas is an understatement.

                                    

As we drove into the city of dazzling lights around 8 p.m. the city beckoned us with a colorful and glittering welcome. Our son had booked two rooms in the 'Venetian' for two nights. It felt great checking in at one of the biggest hotels in Las Vegas. Of course all the hotels along the Strip are imposing, awe-inspiring, grand and theme-based. As we entered the reception area of the Venetian to complete the formalities before check-in, the grand paintings on the roof took my breath away.

Soon we were winding our way through the crowd towards the elevator. We had to show our room keys to get past the security guard seated there. We were soon in our rooms - both the rooms were inter-connected. A nice, large, cozy room. As I went towards the large windows to check out the view, the blinds opened as if on cue! Surprised, I turned behind only to see my son smiling - with a remote in hand! How cool was that - operating the blinds with a remote even as you are relaxing on your bed! Next I was looking for a microwave but was disappointed not to find one! Come on, who will want a microwave (except a middle class 'desi' mom) while holidaying for a couple of days in Vegas! Next I opened the fridge to put in the few juice-boxes we had. But there was no scope for putting them in as the fridge was already loaded with snacks and drinks. No sir, not complimentary! In fact my son had already warned us not to unload anything from the fridge. Even if you took out a juice can out of curiosity, the decrease in weight would bee registered and you'd be charged for the item. During an earlier visit, my son had had such an experience - he had put back the can but he had already been billed for it. When he scrutinized the bill during check-out, he noticed it, and explained to the officials and they were obliging. Any calculative person would opt for vending machines rather than the over-priced hotel-room-fridge drinks. 

Post-dinner, all of us took a stroll around the hotel - looking at the many coffee shops and eateries, spas and cosmetics stores, the sprawling but crowded gambling area with psychedelic lights .......

Suddenly we saw gondolas and for a moment seemed to be transported to Venice! The kids were excited to see the man singing as he was ferrying his boat with a couple on board. And there were quite a few of them. We soon seemed to be on the streets of Venice - the cute villas and balconies seemed real! I expected Romeo and Juliet to pop to life! The sky was a light romantic blue and it seemed to be twilight though it was well past 9 p.m. It was because of the special lighting - there was no nightfall there!

                          

Soon we walked towards St.Mark's Square and we had a feast awaiting us - a musical feast - a lady on the flute and two men on a guitar and a violin were belting out melodious numbers. We sat and enjoyed a couple of songs. As we were ready to leave, they started playing another song .... and it rooted us to our seats. I took out my camera and took a video of a part of the song. Wasn't I thrilled to listen to 'mera jootha hai japaani' out there in Las Vegas! Ooh, I had goose bumps. That made my day, I tell you!

                                              

I tried to make a mental note of important landmarks as it would be disastrous to get lost in the huge maze of the hotel! All were tired after the long drive and the short exploration of the hotel and decided to hit the bed at 10. I had nurtured a secret hope of taking at least a short walk down the Strip. I think only I had a bit of energy. As I lay on my bed, my thoughts raced back to our visit to Vegas 13 years ago ......

Our sons were Grad students then and they took us on a road trip from Colorado to Nevada, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Grand Canyon. We reached Vegas around 7 on a Saturday night. I was totally bowled over by the illuminated city dotted with huge hotels with dazzling lights. There was a small debate between the boys about where to check in. The elder one voted for one of the majestic hotels but the younger one opted for a motel. We let them sort it out. On inquiry, we found that 'New York New York' had a couple of rooms for 120$ per day. But junior didn't give the nod. So we drove down the Strip, stopping by a couple of hotels for inquiry: rooms were expensive at 200$ per day. So they decided to get back to 'NY NY'. But within the last 25 minutes, the rates had been hiked to 200$ for the last few rooms remaining! The big bro chided his younger brother for missing out on the deal and quashing his desire to lounge in luxury and extravagance at least for a night. The younger one's argument was that we'd be in the hotel only for a few hours and that too - to sleep! We drove to the end of the Strip and checked in at Motel 6, had a quick dinner of sandwiches and ventured out at 9.

                                      

                                     

It was fun walking along the crowded Strip (me in a sari, mind you - those were the days!). We walked along gazing at the beautifully illuminated hotels, getting in, seating ourselves in front of slot machines, listening to the excitingly tempting jingle-jangle of coins resonating from all over. We were safe gamblers, so we chose to play at slot machines for 10 c/ 25 c. We won some and lost some but it was fun to collect the jingling coins dropping out from the machine in our plastic bowls! 

                                   

We spent our time admiringly flitting in and out of Treasure Island, and Mirage (admiring the free outdoor shows) and MGM and Excalibur and New York New York. (The Venetian hadn't come up then!). We clicked a few pictures with our camera - we had to be economical with our stock of film rolls for the entire trip. Before we knew it, it was 2.30 a.m. but the streets were still buzzing with activity! Our feet started begging for mercy. So we hailed a cab and returned to our motel and crashed. We took to the road the next morning at 8 after breakfast at Burger King and weren't surprised to see Vegas still fast asleep after all the excitement of the night....... We had managed to see as much of Vegas as we could in over 12 hours..........

I don't know when I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, my husband was preparing coffee. After our cuppa, we decided to explore the Venetian a bit on our own. We had come equipped with coins and seated ourselves in front of a slot machine of our choice (25 c - what else?). We scrutinized it to find the slot for inserting coins. But we couldn't locate it! Instead we saw a sign, "Insert your bill here." We tried to put in a dollar bill (note) but it wasn't accepted. We checked out a few more slot machines and returned to our room disappointed.

Our son explained that coins are no longer in use. We'd have to insert a neat dollar bill of the desired denomination and play as much as we wanted. We'd have to extricate our ticket for the balance amount while leaving a machine and use it at another machine of our choice or exchange it at the cash counter for money. I remembered how thrilled we were during our earlier visit when we scooped the coins raining from the slot machine with our hands into our plastic bowl. This was definitely less exciting in comparison - though the sound of jingling coins had been maintained for effect, the feel of the actual coins was really missing. Oh yes, it's become a virtual world!

After breakfast at one of the eateries inside the hotel, we decided to explore the Strip in daylight before the sun was at its peak. We admired the majestic exterior of Palazzo, Venetian, Harrah's and Paris on the left and Treasure Island, Mirage, Caesar's Palace and Bellagio on the right. It wasn't possible to explore each of these, so we chose one. We went inside Bellagio and tried to compare its ambiance with our Venetian and the walked to their greenhouse where a flood of colors and flowers and vegetables greeted us.

                                                                      

 When we came out, it was almost noon. To beat the sun, we decided to do the rest of the Strip in our car. Cars move very slowly as they have to stop at every intersection to allow pedestrians to cross. That was a boon to me as I sat clicking pictures of all the hotels lined up on my side as we passed them - Planet Hollywood, Monte Carlo, New York New York, Mandalay Bay .....

Then as we were returning, I could take pictures of the hotels on the other side - MGM, Bally's, and Paris, Harrah's, Venetian and Palazzo. Phew! 

                                      

                                       

Wasn't that cool? I had all of them captured in my camera within a matter of twenty minutes - an instant gratification! My day was made - yet again! 

Of course the thrill of walking down the Strip at night during our first visit was a totally different chew-n-enjoy experience!

What we didn't manage to do on our earlier visit, we did this time. After buffet lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant, we visited Madame Tussaud's in the Venetian. The rest of the day was lined up with shows - first Mac King's magic show with the kids at Harrah's. Then the younger couple went for a show while the grand parents explored the hotel with the kids. 

  

Then it was time for our show - stand-up comedy by Ray Romano and Kevin James - both my favorites - I am a big fan of Raymond (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Doug (The King of Queens). The show was at 10 p.m. at Mirage - just across the road, opposite to The Venetian. 

                                     

We watched the 'Fire Show' outside Mirage before going to the auditorium. Need I say we thoroughly enjoyed it? After the show both of us satisfied our yearning to relive the experience of taking a short walk admiring the resplendent line of hotels at night.

We hadn't gone around the entire hotel, so we explored the rest of the floors before check-out the next day. We followed the signs and landed on the fourth (or fifth floor - I don't remember which) to check out the crystal blue swimming pool and the beautiful trees and plants in the adjacent garden. Only when we took the elevator to go down to our room did it strike us that these marvels were not on ground level! Amazing!

 

We were all set for checking out. Suddenly I realized that I hadn't clicked pictures of the ceiling that had fascinated me when we had entered the hotel. It was at the reception, so I followed my son when he went to settle the bill. Wow! Click, click, click went my fingers as I captured the paintings on the walls and ceiling in my camera.

    

As we were leaving the hotel, I saw an Indian couple walk in with their parents. The daughter was clicking a photo of her sari-clad mother ( reminding me of my earlier visit) against a plain backdrop. I felt like telling them to get in for attractive backdrops adorning the length and breadth of the hotel!

                             

After the final goodbye drive, we enjoyed yummy Udupi snacks at another Indian eatery 'India Masala' which had an interesting wall-piece of an autorikshaw! As we made our exit from Vegas, I turned back to bid goodbye to the gigantic structures receding from view ....