Sadhana 2011

Sadhana, a dedicated practice.
It was the final dance recital this week and the year 2010-2011 for dance comes to a close.

I missed my most important and fun part of the recital, getting ready with my friends and chitchatting and laughing and crying. I underestimated the travelling time between my house and the performing stage and I also underestimated the time it would take me to tie my not so long hair anymore, into a bun. I think the precursor to this final rush was rooted in activities throughout the week. During the week I missed my beautician appointment, twice. I couldn’t sew the top that I needed for the show and ended up borrowing from a friend, that covered my muffin top very well but didn’t add anything much other than that. I ended up working overtime when I was planning to take time off from work. I ended up doing my make up in the car while my husband drove me to the performing destination and I ended up rushing to the stage for my first sequence without my ghunghroos (ankle bells).

But in the end it all worked out. I didn’t miss my performance; my sweet friends helped me with final touch ups while treating me like a princess and reprimanding me like a mother. I remembered to smile on the stage, at least part of the time and nobody was hurt in the process of the dramatic back-stage entry or thereafter. A bollywood chick flick kind of a deal :0)

DH was disappointed at the end of the show because my very first sequence was the one I was most excited about it and he missed part of it because of ticket mismanagement and for the other part the lens on the camera wasn’t right to capture good shots. Besides that was the only dance where I was towards the front of the stage and there was enough light to capture a good shot.

As I have been doing all weekend long while I talked to friends and family, at this point I should hand over the phone to DH so that he can explain how I was hiding in the back of the stage and he had a tough time trying to find the window between continuously moving dancers so that he can capture the moment for me. And it is well documented in the pictures as I cropped through many a limb and veils to present a decent picture of me. But like all dark clouds this one had a silver lining too, many of my friends and co dancers were captured in good light, thanks to my Darling Husband.

I would have a few opportunities to perform that particular number again so hopefully next time DH will be able to take good shots. As for me despite all the rush and panic, the performance was an enjoyable experience. The main highlights were the concern and love that my friends hold for me, I felt like the little sister that I never was and there were so many moments that almost brought me to tears, it feels wonderful to be loved and be encouraged and to belong. The other highlight was that I wore a dance jacket that belonged to my guru (Rita ji) many years ago. And it was quite an honor to dance next to some of the wonderfully talented dancers and not feel shortened by the height of their achievement.

I came across this note from July of 2009 and it perfectly sums up wisdom of some of the people that I am surrounded with. “To have the knowledge that I know better and I am going to prove you wrong is so negative. You actually know better when you can forgive another person for not knowing and say yeah, I know better”. My teacher and some of the senior dancers make me feel that way, like its okay to make mistakes and the confidence in me that I’ll learn.

And now after the hustle and bustle of planning and performing, I feel a vacuum that is often felt after the finals week at the end of the semester.

And some pictures:

First Sequence: Vande Matram

The technical dance: Level A

Walking thru woods - peacock

Walk thru woods - Scared of snake

With my girls after the show

Inspired by styling

I used to frequent the decor8 blog very frequently and over a few moves at home and at work I lost links to my favorite bookmarks resulting in the rediscovery of decor8 blog some months ago.


Since presentation and styling is a favorite subject of mine, this site provides plenty of eye candy and inspiration.

We are still settling in our home and since I am trying very hard to achieve an un-matched look it will take me a long time to style my house the way I want it to be.

Away from the topic I am pursuing but on a similar note, I attended the premier show of the TPT and Goldstein Museum collaboration of the movie and exhibition ‘Smart House, livable community’ last month. It is primarily a design solutions exhibition for people planning for old age and still trying to live in their current homes as long as possible to maintain their freedom and integrity. I got a lot out of it even though I am not planning retirement anytime soon; it was especially cleansing me of the American ways. Where I come from (India), we don’t plan housing as a temporary abode for that particular phase of life, it is built for life and for the life of all the next generations imaginable. The main aspect that hit me in the heart was the discussion before the movie presentation and this particular comment, ‘don’t plan and design your house among things you don’t like and would like to change, try to enhance and embrace what you love about your current space’. I am sure it was spoken in a very different set of words but this is the gist that I am carrying from the particular discussion.

And this fit in my current topic because of my love of many things and they cannot be bought in a store and built/collected in a few months, living comfortably with your own choices is a process in its own. And I’ll share my choices with you in due time but for now since I am inspired by the shots shared in DECOR8 blog, I started arranging things and taking pictures while doing other chores and would like to share those with you.

This shot was taken while I was waiting for
the water to boil for tea.

DH was cooking us some Ramen noodles Chinese style
and the colors of vegetables begged me to take a picture.

I bought a new muffin pan that bakes in shapes of tulips and other
flowers; so, there’s my chocolate tulip, staged for eating after dinner.

If you can’t fight them, join them. I did join my daughters or maybe
they joined me. Here’s OUR collection of rocks, shells and drift woods
displayed on the mantle.

I have had this tea-set for about a dozen years abut haven’t used it a dozen time even. The other day I discovered it in the unopened boxes in the garage and was filled with nostalgia. I am displaying them on my kitchen counter for now, maybe that will make me use them more often.

My new favorites of the season, tulips, orchids, lilacs,

Gerber daisy,basically all flowers are my favorite but these are the newest in my long list.

And finally the favorite place of me, my family and our friends,

the center island.

Yogi Tea Reminders

I recently (few months ago) started drinking Yogi Tea blends that are design specifically to cure a nuisance. Take note, I didn’t say disease, I said nuisance. Anyways, so besides providing antioxidants and natural herbal supplements, it also shows a yoga pose on each box and the tail of each tea bag comes with a message.

If you have been reading this blog for a bit you know how I look for signs everywhere so these are some that I don’t have to go out to seek, they are just there… or here as following…

Nature is a giver, a true friend and a sustainer.


There is nothing more precious than the self.


Wherever you go, go with all of your heart.


May your light become a living universal light.


When the mind is backed by will, miracles happen.


The purpose of life is to enjoy every moment.

Now if you are also a sign seeker maybe it was just meant to be that you’ll read some of these and be inspired to absorb it or be reminded of something else that will serve as a sign.

I know for sure, I was meant to share them with you, at this moment, so I did it…

Thankful for you, my body

Sometimes you are too heavy, sometimes too curvy, and sometimes too slow. There have been times when you bleed a lot and other time you bleed at the wrong time. Your weight and fat percentage is totally off balance and the dimpled thighs are ugly. Sometimes you are so needy; you need sleep when my mind wants to go on and when I push you, through you I feel aches and pains.


I can go on about all those things are not perfect with you but at the same time I am thankful for you because despite my constant criticism, you have provided me a beautiful home and let me experience pain and pleasure. It is through you that I express myself and feel my existence; you have given me a definition. You are so adjusting, you expand to accommodate my indulgences and you toughen up to meet my desire to go faster. You let me hold and nurture my babies for nine months and you let me squeeze them now to spill off my love that cannot be contained in my heart. When I abuse you, you let me know but then heal yourself. You run around like a headless chicken trying to keep up with my fervent mind and then when you can’t any more, all you ask for is a little rest and don’t quit on me.

I know that I can fill reams of virtual paper to tell you how important you are to me and how I would just have been an anonymous soul without you here to contain me and define me. But yesterday as I crossed the finish line at this season’s first 5K (Race for Cure at MOA on Mothers’ Day), I was filled with special gratitude because you carried me through when my mind told you to take it slow as it thought that if it push you any longer, your lungs would burst, you continued on. You weren’t fully prepared for it and you happen to be getting over a fight with cold from last week and happen to be bleeding (of course, at the wrong time. Okay, I am sorry I shouldn’t say this cause if you stop bleeding, I’ll go into a panic attack) yet when my brain was slowing you down, your hand plugged it with some music and distracted it and you kept going on. Thank you.

You have perfectly functioning ears and through the mouth that is actually a part of you, I’ll tell everyone that ‘my’ timing was bad and I didn’t do as well as last year or as well as I’d like to imagine myself doing but please don’t take it personally, I know you won’t but just to clarify. And about that rolls of indulgences that would show on my midriff when I am on stage in couple of weeks, it’s not your fault but we’ll work on it together. I know you don’t care about appearances; you are just very honest about who I am but I don’t want to display the uncontrolled side of mind and accept that I am not perfect or do indeed have weaknesses so you’ll have to once again take this journey with me as through you I’ll display a perfection that only exist in my mind.

Thank you for containing me, in every sense of the word…