Eppadi irundha naan ippadi ayitten... (How I was and How I am!))

Listed below are a few changes in my lifestyle pre and post wedding!

Rationally, I think,

1) Most people face the same issues before tying the knot and after tying the knot.

2) Most of 'After Marriage' is applicable for people after marriage, after having 1 or 2 kids and when the couple is working

3) A few of 'Before Marriage' is applicable for people after marriage, both working but before kids :) :)

Before Marriage:

Getting up ‘early’ in the morning: at 7 AM to catch the bus at 7.45 AM

Can get up ‘late’ for the weekend: at 10.30 AM or even in the afternoon! Who cares! It’s a free weekend after all!

Preparing the grocers list for the month: 4 packets Maggi Noodles, 4 packets Top Ramen Noodles, Instant soups of Maggi and Knorr - tomato, mixed vegetable, mushroom, chinese manchurian, blah, blah - 2 each. At least 1 cup Noodles - for days when we (me and my room mates) are so tired that we cannot even make the 2 min noodles or the 5 min soup!

(Gossips are an integral part of a woman’s life! They are every woman’s birth right! A woman cannot survive without this small talk!)
Gossips: "Did you know the latest about this movie star......?" "C’mon Yaar what is cooking between them in that XYZ project?" "Can you imagine, she actually turned him down?"

Weekend plan: Going on trekking, mountaineering, b’day parties (at home or at a nice restaurant) or even plain simply, stay ahome and sleep 2 full days.

Free time: "I am free now (which I am anyway, most of the times), lemme call up XYZ and do some time pass. Well.. NO call, it will be over pretty soon, let me sms, that will continue for a longer time - save money and spend a lot of time! :) :)"

After Marriage:

Getting up ‘early’ in the morning: at 5.30 AM to do the morning chores! (My husband did give me stare when he read this line! But then, as usual, it is ok ;) ;)

Can get up ‘late’ for the weekend: at 7.30 AM. We can do the morning chores at leisure!

Preparing the grocers list for the month: mustard, dhaniya, fenugeek, salt, sugar, dal varieties... and ah.. yes, mainly rice! Apart from this...mm...soaps, soap powder and I think I will get dishwash liquid too. Need not run to the shop if it runs out in the middle of the month!

Gossips: "Did you know her m-law actually gave her 8 month old son, chicken soup? How thoughtless!" "Sometimes(only sometimes) this may move to - Did You know what happened in tht saas-bahu serial, can u ask ur m-law and tell me? My m-law was asking me abt it. She apparently missed it because of a stupid phone call!" "Hey, you know what!! Lemme tell you what happened in my hubby’s office ysday."

Weekend plan: cleaning house on the first day of weekend and shopping for grocers to sustain the week on the second day of the weekend. Any big shopping (for any impending event) or taking the kid out (to sight seeing, play park, or zoo) happens invariably on the first day of the weekend.

Free Time: Phew!!! free time at last (such an opportunity does not present itself very often when the couple is working and also have a kid at home to manage), let me sit peacefully for a few seconds, catch my breath and do actually nothing!!!

So friends, this is the routine! I know quite a few 'before and after marriage' have been left out! But then this is not a marriage counselling book and I already have a bad reputation of long blog posts! :) :)

Naanum En Velinattu Anubhavangalum!!

Caution: A transliterated post! Ideally either the script should have been in Tamil or the language should have been English! But I have retained the script as 'English' and language as 'Tamil' to facilitate reading by my Tamil friends who do not understand the Tamil script. So others who do not even understand 'Tamil' kindly forgive me!

Vanakkam makkale,

Edho katchi koottathuku pesa arambikkara madhiri irukkule? (en friend kooda sonnan, idha velai enakku othu varalaina naan pesame katchile sendhuralaamnu.. nalla idea dhaan!! Pappom!!) seri vidunga, enakku vera eppadiyum pesa theriyadhu! Ada! Arasiyal le idhellam sadharanamappa!!

En velaiye, rendu maasathuku oru vatti, edhavadhu oru veli naattule poyi legiyam vikkanum.. I mean ‘Conference’ attend pannanum!! (ennoda frens ennoda veli nattu trips ai legiyam vikkara trip ah dhaan consider panranga) ovvoru oorukkum 10 naal dhaan poven, adhuvum official trip. So naan velaiya thavara vera edhuvum pesa koodadhu, yosikka koodadhu… irundhalum, Indialiye adhuvum Tamizh naatuleye porandhu valandha enakku sila vishayangal naan pora ella oorleyum romba thamashave irukku.
5 London le nadandhadhu
6 Beijing le nadandhadhu
1-4 Ella oorleyum nadandhadhoda oru thoguppu!

1) Mudhalla inga meeting nadakkara edathula lunch arrange paninrundhanga. Lunch appo ‘all tables were set’ – appadinna oru periya vatta mejai, vellai velernu table cloth adhu mela, suthi 6-7 chairs, ovvoru chair kum nera oru fork, knife, glass, tissue. Ada set up elam bandhava thaan irukku, soru eppadi irukkunu pappomnu ‘buffet’ table kittey poyi patha, edho vechirundhanga (adhai pathi ellam ippo pesa vendaam! Apparam enakku pasikka aramchurum) – vegadha arisi pottu oru fried rice, aragoraya vendha oru vegetable salad, uppu chappu illadha oru ‘sauce’ (namba ooru rasam kooda indha oorukku oru ‘type of sauce’ dhaan!). seri andavan inniku namba thalaile idhaan ezhudhirukkan nu oru table le vandhu ukkandhen.

2) Patha knife, fork dhaaney sonnen – spoon eh illaiye (oru nimisham feelings kattamey kaiyale kozhappi adikkalamnu thonichu, apparam serinu oru ‘dejenjy’ karudhi venamnu vitten) konjam suthi muthi pathen… illai.. pakathula irukkaravan enna panran nu pathen… patha avan fork aaleye fried ‘rice’ ai saapadran… ‘Dey engendhu da pidichanga ungalai? sothai poyi fork aale eppadi da saapadreenga? Theramai dhaan’. ‘Namba kooda dhaan sendhamizh naattu thamizhachi, evlo thermaisaali’ adhaan style ah nanum fork aale rice saapda aramchen (edho romba pazhakka patta madhiri… anaal naanum ethanai neram dhaan decent ah irukkara madhiriye nadikka!!)

3) Ippadi fork kum kathikum sandai nadanthutrukkumbodhu oru vella kaara annan vandhu enakku pakathu seat kaaliya, avaru ukkaralamnu kettaru. Naanum seri nu sonnen. Udane ‘Oh I don’t have the tools here’ nu kelambi poyittaru. ‘Dey tools ah??? Nee kolaiya panna porey illai doctor ah operation panna poriya??’ nu kekkanumnu thonichu. Apparam dhaan pathen pakathu chair ku nera iundha ‘fork and knife’ appo illai… adhai dhaan tools nu solliruakru!! ‘Ada padharugala, oru nimishathula nee carpenter ah illai engineer ah illai kolai garana nu sandhega pattutene.. neengalaam puriyara madhiriye pesa mateengala?’

4) Innoru Vishayam! Socialisation ngra perula oru naal oru restaurant ku dinner ku kootittu ponanunga, naan sonnen ‘ayya naan varalai… ennaya vitrunganu’. Ketangyala? Technical discussion over dinner nu sonnanunga. Ulley pona, ellarum oru periya mug le beer order panni kudichanga. Namakku dhaan andha pazhakkam illaiye, serinu kaile apple juice oda ukkandhen. Oru round mudichanga, aparam dinner (dinner le enna saapten nu kekkadheenga – avanungalaam turkey, pork, chicken saapda naan vallaara keerai kashayam madhiri irundha oru soup avlo dhaan). Seri kelambirunvomnu nambikkaiyoda irundhen patha next round drinks nu ellarum marupadiyum order pannanga, enakku apple juice sethu. Seri 2nd round mudichachu, vitruvanunganu patha 3rd round drinks order poanranunga ‘dey idhuku mela naan apple juice kudichenna, ini jenmathukum apple ai kooda saapda mudiyame poyirum da’. Ketangyala??? 4 round drinks ku apparam dhaan kelaminanunga!! Anaal naan nalla velai 2nd round aple juice odaye 4 rounds aiyum samalichutten :) :)

5) Ada idhellam kooda parava illai. Annaiku London bridge paakka poyirundhappo, indha kulur le Thames nadhi kari orama neraya peru verum sports jerkin pottuttu oditrundhanga (ada kaalaile illenga, sayangalam 7:00 manikku). Edhukuda ippadi kashta padadum, paavam jerkin edhachum potukalam le? (Fur vecha leather jacket, gloves, kulla, thermals, woollen socks, shoes – ivlo pottum nan nadingitrundhen!! – anaal adhai pathi ippo pesa vendaam! :) :) ) Naan kooda jerkin eduthuttu vara marandhuttanga, nadandhu veettuku porthukulley verachirum adhanaley orey ottama veettukku odaranunganu nenachen. Apparam dhaan enoda friend sonnaru ‘idhu peru jogging aam’ adhai yen da veraiakkara kulura night le panreenga??? Oruthanai pidichu ‘ada varumaikku porandhavaney edhai munnadi panradhu edhai pinnadi panradhunu oru kanakku venaam’ nu kekkalamnu thonichu… Namakku edhuku ooru pollaappu nu freeya vitten!!

6) Annaikku ippadi dhaanga Beijing le oru meeting – so marupadiyum ange oru socialization nu ponom (enna panna! Namba pozhappu appadi! Ooru oora poyi meeting attend pannanumnu!). Chinese speciality restaurant adhanale nalla 'authentic Chinese Non-Veg'. En kooda vandha ennoda Korean colleagues chumma try pannalamnu ponanunga (ennai yen da koopadreenganna yevanum kekkalai!), ivanunga solranunga, 'Chinese are weird ppl. They eat frogs!' appadinnu... Udane thonichu badhiluku sollalamannu, 'Dei!!! Unga oor le nee Octopus thinniye da!! Adhai naan ennanu solla!!!' . Ivanungala ellam thirutha mudiyadhu da saami!!

Ippadi poyiturkku namba kadhai ovoru oorleyum! Ovvoru vattiyum eppoda Chennai ku thirumbi vandhu nalla, thattu le ivlo soru pottu kolambai oothi kaiyale kolappi adikka poreno nu thonudhu!!;-) ;-)