if i were a....

This fun post was inspired by wanderlust

- If I were a season, I would be autumn
- If I were a month, I would be November
- If I were a day of the week, I would be Friday
- If I were a time of day, I would be sunset time
- If I were a planet, I would be Earth
- If I were a direction, I would be going South
- If I were a tree, I would be a rain tree
- If I were a flower, I would be an araliya
- If I were a fruit, I would be a watermelon
- If I were a land animal, I would be an elephant
- If I were a sea animal, I would be a starfish
- If I were a bird, I would be an owl
- If I were a piece of furniture, I would be an antique rocking chair
- If I were a liquid, I would be crystal clear water
- If I were a stone, I would be a crystal
- If I were a kind of weather, I would be rainy
- If I were a musical instrument, I would be an acoustic guitar
- If I were a color, I would be forest green
- If I were a facial expression, I would be a smile
- If I were an emotion, I would be contentment
- If I were a sound, I would be a lullaby hum
- If I were an element, I would H2O
- If I were a car, I would be a Beetle
- If I were a food, I would be rice and curry
- If I were a place, I would be the south coast of Sri Lanka
- If I were a flavor, I would be ice lemon tea
- If I were a scent, I would be the smell of wet earth
- If I were an object, I would be a well read book
- If I were a body part, I would be an index finger
- If I were a song, I would be Leaving On A Jet Plane

What about you?

getting married

i got married last month.

when i was small, unlike most little girls, i never dreamt of my wedding. being a total tomboy, hanging out with my brothers and playing WWE were the highlights of my childhood. i grew up and i still couldn't picture myself in a bridal dress. and when i got engaged, being a bride was the last thing on my mind. i never looked forward to my wedding and dressing up was equal to facing the guillotine.

somehow things changed. i remember the exact moment when i actually wanted to be a bride, with the flowers, the flowing dress, the jewellery, the mehendi. it was at one of those boutique dress shops where this salesman draped this gorgeous flowy material all over me and turned me around to face the mirror. it wasn't Sarah looking at me anymore. it was someone else. i actually looked a bride! to be more precise, i felt a bride, and to be really honest i wanted to be a bride (finally!). and then of course, the wedding date was announced, shopping was being done, functions being organised, wedding cards posted and everything was a whirlwind.

i got married in my hometown, a not so faraway place but with a faraway feel to the place. getting married in that pattinam was a huge deal. four couples were getting married at the same time, including my brother (dont be shocked but it happens in our pattinam). and you dont get just one function and not even three. all in all (and i actually sat down and counted) there were 8 functions. so let me list them down for you:

1st day

1. Sirai Kalathuradhu (which literally means getting out of jail) + Paal Seeni (Milk Sugar) function. a special day for me cos this marked the beginning of the functions. i get to dress up for the first time, and wow! i felt like a Ponnu. we gifted milk, sugar and sweets to my husband's place. followed by a home function where people sang and recited when jewellery was put on me by aunts and cousins. first came the tiara, then the necklace, followed by an earring, a ring, another ring, and loads more. it was a lovely feeling being adorned.

2nd day

2 & 3. Mehendi function/Poochappu. my friends came to my pattinam that day, making my wedding even more special. at the Mehendi function, i was seated in a carpet surrounded by little girls who sang nasheeds, danced and threw rose petals and jasmines at me. followed by people putting mehendi in my hand and kissing me. at the Poochappu function same evening, i was gifted wonderful things by my in-laws, including clothes, shoes, and a brand new SLR camera. wow! i felt totally loved.

3rd day

4. Wedding reception (Allaippu). nothing special for the Ponnu to do. my family had to greet and thank a multitude of guests (measuring to approx 1500), giving them small complimentary gifts. i didn't have to dress up and thought of chilling out with friends, but of course, my plan was ruined by photographers who bullied me into posing like a 1960s tamil movie heroine. my friends had a laugh at my expense!

4th day

5. Nikkah. this was the main function where i get Married. thanks to my friend Nan, who dressed me up, i looked great. i was taken to the mosque and my hands placed in my husband's hands. i am now officially Mrs. S.

6. Pon Sodippu (Bride display for the public like a chimp at the zoo, but i didn't do any tricks. just sat there looking pretty waiting for everyone to admire me haha.). same day as the Nikkah, i felt exhausted by the time i had to dress up. i literally got out of my Nikkah dress and got into this one. but maybe it was the excitement of it all, i didn't feel tired. of course the afore mentioned photographers once again tried to bully me but i refused to cave in. hah!

7. Thaalikettu. same day as functions no. 5 & 6. and i guess you can imagine what time it started. 12 midnight it did! and we went to bed that day at 4am. the four couples were seated in the stage about to snooze. luckily there were a few games invented to keep us awake, one in which the groom had to stick coins in the face of the bride. if it stuck, then Go groom! if it didn't Go bride! of course it didn't stick for me so naturally i won. many gifts were given and i got a lovely ring from my husband. i was sleepy at the end of it all but felt loved all the same.

5th day

8. Waleema/Maravanam (Homecoming). next day. got up late. had late breakfast. chilled around. by the time i got dressed, lunch time was over. i had to dress up (first time in a Pattu sari) and go to my husband's place. my brother's newly married bride also came to our place for her homecoming. so once we welcomed her home, i went to my husband's, where once again i was gifted jewellery and other wonderful things. aaahh! life was good.

so that ends the list of functions held in said pattinam but this doesn't mark the end of all functions. we had a reception in Chennai and one in Colombo, where i got to meet friends who were not able to come for my wedding. (special mention to Rish who organised the Colombo reception).

among other things i loved about my wedding, here is a list of things most memorable to me:

- my wedding was a family reunion after 2 and half yrs. felt great that all the Ps were in one place.

- 3 of my dearest friends came for my wedding. Cat and Naz all the way from Colombo and Nan all the way from Tooty :) my friends being there for me on my big day was all i could wish for. My sister's friend Thiv also came which made it all the more sweet.

- i was given to drink milk in almost all the functions (a pattinam custom) and i thank god i am not lactose intolerant.

- the night before the big day we had an all night powercut and my cousin Nus and i had to sit in the balcony, where she put Mehendi for me by streetlight. we sat all night but my Mehendi was lovely in the end!

- the exciting shopping, most memorable was shopping in the crowded, dirty and surprisingly well stocked Mint Street. i have now being officially been converted to shopaholic-ism.

- i missed my grandfather a lot (who had passed away earlier in the year) but at the wedding, i was happy that my grandma was happy.

- Vapa, Umma and Mami's massive support during and before the wedding and of course Nus, my wedding planner/cousin/naathanar, and Naj, my other wedding planner/sister without whom the functions wouldn't be half as wonderful.

- and finally i got to welcome a wonderful person into my family.

all in all, i loved being a bride. it was chaotic, the few weeks before the wedding, but somehow it all came together in the end and now that its all over, i want to get married all over again. i keep telling myself that every other bride gets to dress up only once, but this pattinam bride got to be a Ponnu more than once, twice or thrice.

*happy sigh*

blog time!

i suddenly realised i spent more time today redesigning my blog than actually blogging! pooh pooh

and alas! what have i been doing all these un-blogged about months, wiling away my time, ignoring my poor blog? 5 months to be exact. time to buckle up and write, write, write while i have still have time on my hands!

speak to you tomorrow, my lovelies :)