Fruits of Labour

It was a pleasant surprise to us all. Nothing on a large scale ... not a bad start for first timers.

Post Deepavali Makeover

My hair was starting to block my view and I'm prone to colds lately thanks to the difficulty in getting it dried after shower. So after much consideration and a heavy heart ... I sacrificed.

Happy Deepavali!

I woke up this morning to melodious Deepavali songs and greetings that were played over the radio. The lovely smell of incense got me right out of bed.

Everybody got ready for prayers so right after shower I couldn't wait getting into my lovely pink 'Pavadai'. We headed down to the Kaliamman Temple, Grandma wanted to perform the Gowri Fast prayers here.

After sending grandma home we all headed down to Batu Caves. This year's Deepavali is a special one as it falls on the last Saturday of the puratassi month. The last time this occured was 65 years ago!

I payed homage to the Great Hanuman and prayers at the Saniswaran and Venkatachalapathy Temple. The crowd was greater in number for Deepavali and the puratassi prayers.

Everybody honoring the lord were served with traditional banana leaf vegetarian meal. I had a share from Daddy's serving which was good enough for I dozed off in the car. The next thing I knew it was 4 in the afternoon and aunty had her guests.

We spent the night at my uncle Sarvesh's place. We ate delicacies made by his mom and played firecrackers till late into the night.

The next day, we had a small gathering over lunch at my place. Uncle Sarvesh and his mom and dad came over. After lunch we caught up with some of the Deepavali specials on TV.

Deepavali - 1 Day to Go! - Second Half Report

It got busier in the evening with a number of final touch-ups before the big day. We almost forgot the beverages for the guests. It's easier to serve them with packet drinks ... hassle free.

Daddy and aunt gave their cars a good wash. It was a much needed scrub removing bird droppings and accumulated dust thanks to our neighbour who's having his house renovated.

The thing about droppings ... the cars were not parked under any tree and yet there they were. The birds must have had tummy trouble during flight.

It was not just the cars that got a good scrub ...

Right about 11pm the fireworks got started. We could here explosions from a battle field with occasional flashes in the sky. As for us, we didn't go for any artillery, ours was just a pistol.

Here's a shot of it ...

Deepavali - 1 Day to Go! - First Half Report

Just a day to go and suddenly we begin to realize a number of unfinished work. Late last night we got all the cards and decorative items hung up. I was just assisting as it would have been an uphill task for me by myself.

We were overwhelmed with the end display.

If you notice in the background of the picture above, that's my crib! Afternoon naps are taken there. I'm starting to avoid it as I grow for the fear the spring might fail me.

We took this opportunity to give away some old and usable clothes for charity. They have these donation bins located around my neighbourhood. We stocked the boot with lots of stuff to be given away by today as the collection is on Sunday and should reach the needy soon after.

For lunch daddy prepared Poached Mackerel garnished with pan fried onions. It looks like the real thing doesn't it? ... The truth is it ain't no Mackerel, it's Veggie soy fish.