Mmmmmmmmmm... Amma kai saapadu

Here I am, sitting in my room pondering over how fine the day went and how happy I feel. Nothing special happened at work or classes; neither did I meet someone special; nor did I end up winning a lucky draw. Then what makes me feel so happy about the day? The food! Yes, homemade food that I cooked. This is not to boast or exaggerate, but yes it did make my day. Its a very true fact that when you eat well and eat what you really like, your mood automatically becomes awesome.

One reason why most of us miss home is the tasty food served timely by our Moms. They are just great! The food cooked with love for one's family/close ones definitely has its own flavor. Love and affection along with the ingredients is what gives it the distinctive flavor of a Mother's recipe. Isn't it why we are so eager to back home whenever we get a chance while staying away from home?

Have you ever noticed how much your mood can change when you eat something that you really like or suits your taste? If not, notice it next time. You will definitely feel a lot more better in spirits when your taste buds are satisfied. Thats why probably most girls feel so relieved from bad moods after eating a bar of their favorite chocolate. This feeling cannot be put into words and everyone of you has to live that moment to feel the joy.

And maybe from now on, though I will be missing home every moment, I guess I can brighten up my spirits by cooking some tasty food and satisfying my appetite. Good food brings good spirits in anyone.

Still, I am waiting for the day I will be getting back home - to stand eagerly next to the stove while amma cooks, keep asking her if she's done cooking knowing that it will take time, having the first bite of the food for tasting before she even switches off the stove, and finally having a meal with the entire family TOGETHER.

The day isn't very far!

Smile Please...

The song from the movie 'Life is Beautiful' starts playing in my mind as I read through this draft saved quite a long time ago. The song plays...

Smile, without a reason why,

Love, as if you were a child, 

Smile, no matter what they tell you,

Don't listen to a word they say

Coz Life is Beautiful that way.

Did a smile just flash on your face when you read the title? I find this similar to how we yawn automatically seeing someone yawn or read or think about it. I just yawned and most of you would also have. 

How will it be if all our photographs are without a smile or even the slightest trace of it? How will it be when the receptionist, or cashier or anyone for that matter greets you with an air of irritation instead of a smile? How will it be if people did not smile at all? Sounds weird for sure. A smile is an integral part of our lives and improves our mental and physical health. 

“Most smiles are started by another smile.” - this is very true. I always assumed that I need not smile till someone else smiled at me making them to be the first to smile. One crazy thought haunting my head when someone I knew did not smile was that probably the other person doesn't like me or recognize me. (I complicate situations like this!). 

A sudden thought said, when you assume the other person to smile at you as a mark of identity, wont he/she also be thinking in a similar way? I decided to put this to test and started smiling at all those whom I met and saw, no matter I knew them or not. You never need a reason for smiling. And hence, I discovered the secret behind 'smiling'! I got back all the smiles and my days have become more cheerful than it has ever been. Its just so pleasant and stimulating and keeps the day running smoothly making me forget any tension and live at the moment. My mom always tells me that it doesn't cost us anything to smile. 

Some quotes on 'smile' to ponder over....

• “If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it.” Andy Rooney
•  “The shortest distance between two people is a smile.” Author Unknown
• “Peace begins with a smile.” Mother Teresa
• “A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.” Charles Gordy
• “Smile – it increases your face value.” Author Unknown
• “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” Martin Charnin
• “If you see a friend without a smile, give him one of yours.” Proverb
• "A smile is a curve that sets everything straight" -  Author Unknown

Anytime you don't feel like smiling, think that your photograph is being captured (say cheers!) and you will automatically smile, because later when you look at it, you will love seeing a smiling face rather than otherwise. So, 

Your smile might lighten up someone else's day. And a sticky note could come in handy.

-Yamini

Express yourself and make someone's day!

This is probably my blog after quite a long time. So many thoughts run through the mind to be put in words but in vain, similar to the 'kanmani anbodu' song from Guna, 'Unnai enni paarkaiyil kavithai kottuthe, athai ezhutha ninaikayil vaarthai muttuthey'. After many failed attempts of blogging, resulting in a rise in the drafts, I finally complete one for now and hope it continues. 

Life has definitely got busier with increased work loads; but it is definitely worth it when we take time to remember the old pals with whom we shared some really memorable moments. Though they might not be  very close to us, we could mail or ping them asking about their whereabouts and cherishing some moments as and when we remember. The happiness which the person on the receiving end feels when suddenly during one busy day our message or mail pops in, can just not be explained. It makes them feel closer to us and the relationship becomes stronger and will last longer. An analogy would be the applying of oil to the hinges of a door now and then to avoid the creaking sound resulting without maintenance. It lasts longer and isnt time consuming as well but the result it reaps is great (what a pleasure to have a door that doesnt creak disturbing everyone at home). 

I realized this one day when a good friend of mine mailed me after a very long period, taking me down the memory lane to the good old school days. The concluding part of the mail that said to never lose the crescent on my face under any situation made my day and i always remember it when i smile! Though we are friends through facebook and know what each is upto through the status updates, this effort made me feel that people do care and that I should do the same bringing the friendship circle closer. Its not that I dint care about the person previously but just the hesitation of what they will think after not being in touch for so long which kept me from doing so (i think allot and complicate simpler issues! ). This made me overcome my misconception and realize that its never too late for making up to people and keeping in touch again, the way we wanted to, deep in our hearts.

The one thing I learned is that people do not have the capacity to read our minds and realize what we feel about them and how much we care for them especially when each of us is living in different parts of the world. Don't wait for the other person to take an initiative because this moment will never come back again. Take the first step and express yourselves. Break the layers that have formed in the relationships in the past without staying in touch. Trust me, it helps. Even if they are busy, they will find time to respond back and the feeling is just great.

The final phases of our lives shouldn't be such that we regret having not expressed ourselves at the apt times and missed some really awesome people from our lives. Life is too short to regret and it is never too late. At the end, the gifts exchanged don't really matter. What does matter is how we made them feel. So, express what you truly feel about your friends and remind them that you do care about them, by remembering them. 

Let them know that the words 'stay in touch' uttered during the farewell days did not disappear with the wind and really do mean something valuable to you and make their day!

Life is a circle and everything happens as a chain of events one following the other. Who knows, maybe some day very soon, you will be remembered by someone whom you don't expect to be remembered by  making your day! 

I guess this feeling and flow of thoughts is due to the book 'Tuesdays with Morrie' by Mitch Albom which i read recently.

Keep smiling,

Yamini