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This is one of the old Cadbury India advertisements.
Reminds me of a much simpler time…

Today is my 20th birthday.
I’m 20 freaking years old.
Yes.
Me.

And I’m not even the least bit mature!!

It was fun celebrating my teenage birthdays but when it came to my 20th I was a little hesitant. So when I woke up this morning I was all “okay another day. And oh ya its my birthday. Cool”.

When I was little, waking up on the morning of birthdays was such an event! I couldn’t wait to wake up! I would be so high. And every year my birthday would be during Quarterly holidays and school would reopen two days later. The teachers would promptly distribute papers when I wen to school few days later and there I would be sitting in my ‘birthday’ dress receiving not gifts but mark sheets.

Birthdays were never a cause for celebration at home.
1. Because its haraam to celebrate birthdays.
2. Because we were never interested and it was not imperative that we do it.
But my folks would let me do what I wanted to with my friends.

The selection of a ‘birthday’ dress to wear to school was such a rigorous process. My mother would scream in agony and I would never pick a dress until it was perfect.
And I got my perfect clothes every year!

I would decide what chocolates to take to school. And the decision would be so tough that even the United Nations couldn’t solve it if they wanted to.

I would plan and replan and go through the entire day in my mind. And when morning came I was so excited.
Ah to go to school in ‘colour’ dress, to be the center of attention, to show-off.. what bliss that was!
This was all birthdays meant to me.

Sweet sixteens and sexy seventeens. (yeah, my friend came up with the sexy seventeen)
Birthday clothes and presents.
Food, cake and fun.

How immature I was!

Now I realize what birthdays really are. Allaah gives us one more year.
One more year to do things you have never done.
One more year to change the way you want to be.
One more year to come closer to the person you want to be.

I understand how blessed and lucky I am to go through these experiences when many people have nothing at all to live for. Each year has taught me something. As each year passes I can feel myself becoming stronger, more confident. I can feel myself ready to face challenges, to believe and to stick to my choices, to be smart enough to know what I want.

Birthdays should be about growing up. And about realizing responsibilities. And about becoming the person you want to be.

I woke up this morning feeling morose and unexcited but I had a wonderful time today! My two very lovely friends in college SF and Ulsa actually surprised me with a gorgeous chocolate cake. I used to day that cutting cakes in college was so cheesy and so stupid. But they gave me a taste of my own medicine and I liked it!

My wonderful wonderful girls from school, my bum-chums, my girls, my most favourite people in the whole world surprised me by being not too discreet! But it was fun nonetheless. My lovely Myrtle Turtle baked THE most sexiest cake I’ve ever had! And I blew off the candles too!

So to be honest, this was the best-est birthday I had =)

Thank you:

SF
Ulsa
Myrtle turtle
Khalida
BigB(um)
Mallu Girl
And YOU. If YOU made my day all the more special =)

After getting an awesome response last year, LITRAPTURE is back!!

B.S.ABDUR RAHMAN UNIVERSITY formerly BSA CRESCENT ENGINEERING COLLEGE introduces LITRAPTURE09, a one of a kind inter collegiate literary fest for students from all streams engineering, medical, arts and even law. Last year the event drew crowds from all top colleges like SSN, SRM and MEASI and arts colleges like New College, Stella, Ethiraj, WCC, Loyola,MOP, etc.

So if you live in Chennai and are a student then please do come to BSA UNIVERSITY on friday, the 11th for the literary extravaganza! Events include JAM, block n tackle, spin a yarn, DUM-C, shipwreck, ADZAP, mock interview, an online quiz- E-mystic, the dubut of the litrapture open quiz and the grand finale- whose line is it anyway.

Celebrity judges for the events VJ Craig/ Cary from SS Music will be present.

For further details visit www.litrapture09.com.

Hello all..

Likey my new template??

Ramadhan is here!

Ramadhan Kareem everybody.
Hope you all have a blessed Ramadhan. =)

So I’ve been tagged by Ldn Hijabi and here are the rules:

To do the Honest Scrap Tag all you gotta do is tell your readers 10 true things about yourself that they don’t know, tag other people and let them know that they have been tagged and leave a link back to your original ‘tagger’.
So here goes..

1. If I could I would love to drop out of Engineering to do something I really love like write for a newspaper or a good magazine but that is not gonna happen anytime soon. Or ever.

2. I LOVE to get into a good fight!! But not physical.

3. I HATE blood tests. Seeing them extract all my blood into a little syringe makes me freak out big time.

4. I hate being told what to do.

5. I have such a short temper but I’m working on it.

6. When I was a kid I used to paint really well (thanks to the artistic gene that runs in my family) but for some damn reason I just stopped and i would love to get back to painting.

7. I LOVE Disney movies! Especially The Little Mermaid and Beauty And The Beast.

8. My childhood ambition was to be Miss.Universe. And obviously that did’nt come true. But when I was in 3rd grade or so I went to a fancy dress competition dressed as Miss.U in an outrageous pink lacy dress complete with fake, studded tiara and white netted gloves.
Needless to say I didn’t win.

9. At times I’m very judgemental of people. I know thats so bad but again, I’m working on it.

10. I hate to talk while making wudu like some girls do in my college. I find it irritating and extremely disrespectfull.

And I tag:

1. Nadia
2. Aimie
3. Mina
4. Angie
5. Jasmin
6. Naseem

So finally I’m back from my native, the land of my fore fathers, the wonderful town of Tirunelveli. Its so amazing to see how some places never change through the years. And Tirunelveli is one of those places.

Tirunelveli is this little town located in Tamil Nadu which is in South India and is home to many Brahmins, Chrisitians and Muslims. The town is split into many small villages like Palayamkottai, Tenkasi and Melapalayam to name a few and each have their respective history and mouth watering cuisine.

Now i spent the most of my stay in my paternal grand father’s place called Talaiyuth. This village just consists of a couple of streets, one which is called Muslim theru (lane) where the Muslims live. Although there is a varied influx of many religions they manage to live in peace without any major rioting even with the presence of aruval which is a long knife that is hooked at the end which does not even need an excuse to be brought up during fights. And ultimately people tend to say that people from Tirunelveli are rowdies and trust me, they’re not.

My grand father’s house is situated on a long and narrow ground that is not defined by a compound wall. The house is around 110 years old and the date is engraved on a wooden plank on the roof. The house is very narrow and there are 3 rooms (IF you can call them rooms that is) that follow in succession and a parallel area that is open to the sky that runs parallel to the rooms. This are is famously called as the kodii and I have no idea why.

The front portion has a courtyard open ti the sky again that is characteristic of houses built in that period. There is also a single room on the first storey that has never, in my 19 years of visiting the place, ever been used for reasons unknown. When we were kids I used to be so freaked out even to enter the room but my brother used to oh-so-daringly come with me, take me to the end of the room, leave me there and run back to shut the door and I would bring the roof down by screaming my lungs out. Sweet memories, yes.

It was such a creepy place and i still don’t have the guts to go up there alone. This first floor is called the machi and again, I have no idea why.

Now as for food, hens and goats keep roaming everywhere and all you gotta do is decide which meat you want and the respective animal is caught and skinned and made edible. While some people may be all “OH MY GOD! THAT IS SO CRUEL!!!” , this is the way of life here.

If you ever happen to visit Tirunelveli never leave without tasting halwa which is locally called alwa. This traditional, cholestrol enhancing, heart attack inducing sweet is made from wheat and ghee. Unlike what most people think halwa was actually introduced by a Marwari family that settled int he area years ago. They were the ones who started the first halwa shop that came to be known as irrutu kadai halwa (dark halwa shop with no lights) and this shop stands till this very day.

The happening place in Tirunelveli is the ‘junction’ so called because it was initially a bus junction and shops were built around it. And one of the most famous ice cream places that has stood the test of time is my all time favourite Arasan (King). The place does’nt sell anything much apart from ice creams, milkshakes, faloodas and some weird jelly thing but even this is awesome in Tirunelveli. Every single time I come to Tirunelveli I make it a point to visit this place.

Tirunelveli is a food lovers heaven. Traditional food and recipies that have been passed down through generations form the roots of the food tree. For the typical tourists there are waterfalls and other sight-seeing-y kind of places. Tirunelveli is also home to many Freedom Fighters and people of aristrocratic backgrounds.

But if you are an outsider or even if you go there almost every summer like me, prepare to be stared at.

Tirunelveli Skyline:

The date on the roof:

The kodii

The creepy machi:

The Courtyard:

Arasan!!

Lamb anyone??

Sister Mina at Humble Muslimah just tagged me with this award. My first one ever!!! Thank you Mina!! You have truly made my day!

Much Love!

I’m in love!!! No, I really really am.
I’m in love with not just one but many Balmain jackets.
So if you love me too you would get off your butt and go get me one cos I can’t afford it!!!

Seriously would you just look at this, its love a first sight I tell you.
Its just meant to be. We ARE made for each other.

And yeah the weird coming-outty shoulder pads may be a turn off but personally I feel it adds an extra zing to the jacket and plus its all just so so pretty!!
And the shoes!!!!
Oh the shoes!!!
How fine and elegant you are. Would you be mine????