Country Cottage Arts

Tuesday, 25 October 2011


My blog was temporarily removed due to someone trying to hack into my blog and my email...... God knows what was so important or top secrets were hidden in my articles !  Google  had  to do what was necessary and so readers might have had some problem having access to my blog lately.  Oh well, it's back to normal now and so I can ramble on............


It is already Deepavali eve and I have taken a laid back attitude in my celebrations this year.  For the first time, I'm celebrating Deepavali with only my family members.  It's a new  kind of feeling when I don't have to slave over the stove making ' thosai ' and chicken curry, etc ....  for my never ending guests streaming in all day..... This year  I'm visiting my sister so I can put up my legs a wee bit.

  In the morning, after offering my prayers at the temple, I'm  going to visit some of the children in the low cost flats located in Shah Alam and give them goodie bags .    My kids and I went there last week and gave away soft toys, mugs, cookies , etc to the  small kids playing in the car park .  One twiggy like child of 5  wore  an adult size flip flop and  climbed down 8 flights of stairs .......    One single parent of a child asked me why I was doing it .   I was quite taken aback and  I  really didn't know how  or what to answer her .  Another mum asked if I was from some welfare dept and had  to register her name with me.  Most of them were curious and I guess a wee bit suspicious  of my motive !     Well, the secret is out ! I did it because I wanted to .  That's it. The cookies, I had  baked myself... the soft toys of Winne the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse,  tigers, teddy bears, etc .,  belonged to my kids during their childhood days which I had lovingly packed them away to keep as keepsakes and for memories  ( they had quite a large collection )  and the  mugs, plates,  and souvenirs were collected from travels and family members  ) .  

 In retrospect, I think I wanted to see for myself the surprise and happy feeling on their faces, hear them hollering out their friends name with  their squeals of laughter and see them  prancing around with delight with their new found toys/gifts.  I am quite tired of just giving money to homeless  organisations and welfare homes.  I have found it more meaningful to go down to meet them face to face  and do/give whatever I can .  Not everyone is registered with welfare homes or NGOs... most of the lower income families just go about their lives doing their  work and try to cope with the pressure of work to make ends meet.  They would hardly have time to play with their children and it is  these category of people/ their small ones  who need  a bit of cheer.  

If truth be told, it was  the children who made me happy that day with their toothy grins and shrieks of laughter and delight .   And  I'm grateful they gave me an opportunity to experience it.


On another note, I was browsing through the SeniorsAlound.blogspot.com and viewed this touching video.  It's a short film of 12 mins which I have uploaded here after watching it. You'll understand it when I say you don't need subtitles  .........

Wishing all Hindus ' A VERY HAPPY DEEPAVALI ' and GOD BLESS

Happy reading and painting


Lakshmi