Galatta Kalyanam

Among the finest things in life, a good marriage is the most satisfying and rewarding, the deepest and best of pleasures to all. That blessed relationship uplifts, enriches, encourages and strengthens both husband and wife. Wedding is the start of something better than what we imagine.

I started writing this blog one month ago and i am not able to put this as one single blog, because i really enjoyed all the moments ever since i got fixed to my man... So what i m going to do is ????? (really not having any plan). May be i can split this blog and post it as 2-3 blogs, so that i can narrate all my experience !!!!!!! OK, this makes sense. Here we gooooooooooooooooooo

In this blog i will tell my experience till my betrothal, Why because this happened in between so many galattas. I still wonder why all things happened to me hurriedly as soon as my wedding got fixed. You all will realize the same at the end of this page. Hope ungalukke yenna paartha pavamnu thonum !!!! If so pls write it to me...

First time his (Yen Aathukarar) parents came to see us (Jadhaga porutham paarthutu), at that time we were in other function from there we came running.....

You all know in our culture always the girl should wear sari when anybody is coming to see like this. Best part here is I didn't had any sari ?? still i can take from my sister or my sister-in-law or my aunt but what about matching blouse, I hardly had 2 with me..... Went to my brother's house took all saris from the cupboard and selected one which matched to my blouse. My goodness after that only i looked the whole place and it was looking like big mess. Everywhere in the room all the clothes are lying in the floor. Took out some jewels and it is also fully scattered inside the room. But nobody can't do or say anything. The situation was like that, they informed us a day before only and we can't do any magic in one night .

Appada... some how we made it and they also impressed by me and us (Hope so !!!)

After my betrothal date got fixed grooms family invited my family (not me) for a pooja on Sunday.... They all started early morning @ 6'o clock. You know Sunday is the only day for us to sleep and to get up late....What i am trying to tell is..... Yes you are right. I am still in by bed.

Exactly at 8.15 morning, my mobile was ringing. My mom in other side................ She wants me to get ready within 20 min as grooms Uncle and Aunt are coming to give Nitchayadhartha sari to me, also added that they all started and on the way home. I said okay and thought better I get dressed up in nice Salwar to meet them. After 10 min again a call from my Uncle this time and he wants me to be in Sari.

God.., who meant all these rules to be in sari once a girl got engaged !!!!!!

Still i m in bed, confused a bit. Ran to my brother's house once again (Don't get panic his house is just in next street) Did the same thing as earlier, same mess up and again made a good day.............

After very few days, Betrothal date was fixed as 2nd Nov (they fixed the date as soon as we both agreed to be life partner). Suddenly one fine morning (16-Oct) we got a call from my in-law's house saying they want to pre-pone the date as their son (my sweet hubby) going to US for a project...... Exactly that day night we (our whole family) are going to go Kodaikannal for a family cum holiday trip. This even my in-law know. We neither want to cancel this trip nor say no to them. You all wonder why ???? because we will be back on Sunday Morning (19-Oct) from our Trip and Monday (20-Oct) is the function.

On 16-oct I had all the below things in my priority list :

1. I had an allergy, Fixed up an appointment with a doctor in the morning.
2. Have to go to tailor, to get stitched for my Betrothal sari. (this sari is always troubling me like anything)
3. In my office, have to finish lot of work before i go for a long leave (3 days).
4. Attend a meeting with our CEO from Germany, who is visiting our office that day
5. Evening 8'o clock is my Train so have to be in station before that. (Yeenna always i will be starting at that time only from office)

I am restless don't know really what to do. God showed me some way to come out of the situation. My uncle took me to a tailor shop and requested them to stitch within 3 days. Normally in that place they will take minimum 15 days for stitching. Its one of the main and well known shop in Chennai. From there went to Doctor and took some medicine and there straight he dropped me in the office. Finished all my work and went to Egmore station on time.

Next three days i enjoyed a lot in Kodaikannal. Walked in the mist, touched the clouds, played in the rain .... Collected so many flowers and made cute bouquets. Those days are still Green in my thoughts.

Sunday morning we reached home.... All my family members are busy for the next day function. We went to the tailor shop to pick up the material... It was not fitting properly did some alteration and got them back. Went to some shops in T.nagar to purchase fruits and sweets.

And we were back only in the evening. And my sister put Mehandhi for me that night. Everything was happening in no time. All slept late night and next day all started early to complete all the pending work we had pertaining to the function. (Seriously i want to know what my hubby and my in-laws were doing at that time !!!!!! Because we were literally like headless chicken running here and there)

Clock is clicking and we all were waiting. We booked for a van to go, he didn't turn up at all. And also for our car we called a driver he also didn't come. Outside the rain was splashing.... My mom lost her cool... The function timing is at 6 pm and still we are on our way only...

Here main think i want to say about the Guindy Traffic. It is still horrible... You all know how the traffic will be in Chennai at 6 pm. As soon as we reached the place it was 6.30pm they didn't say anything (obviously they can't say anything....) and the function started with a nice pooja. I took a deep breathe again.

That's it my betrothal function ended nicely and my wedding date was fixed. You want to know when ????? After 4 1/2 months. I was bit happy. You can very well think why i am happy ....B'coz from now on i don't want to run as earlier. We can plan a little. And now we all come to know how to handle these kind of crisis.

As i said in the starting, everything was happening in the lost moment and also hurriedly. But in all the situations though i become restless i enjoyed a lot. This important event changed my life, not wholly but still made a big imapct !!! Want to know how.... keep reading my next blogs.

See you soon

A day in Shedd Aqaurium

One nice long weekend me and my hubby got a chance to explore the shedd aquarium.

Shedd Aquarium -- Chicago's No. 1 cultural attraction ! This is one of the world largest aquarium.This Aquarium is home to 32,500 animals that swim and crawl and fly. John G. Shedd, is the founder of this aquarium.

Hey,its me going inside the aquarium. Did anyone know what i am having in my bag ???? (Periya muttai...... Hope everybody can see !) Having 2 box - full of Puliyodhare and Thayir sadham for our Lunch. Going to have in the Michigan Yaeri karai

Now, let check what is there inside the bigggggggggggggggg aquarium. We will find Everything wet wherever we walk inside the aquarium. Ground level we can see different kinds of water spices in all kind of waters levels like Rivers, Lakes, Islands, oceans and in Dense forests (Also in different season)

Also we saw the species in Caribbean reef , where we can see the water bodies in all 360 degree circular glass container. This has been awarded for containing 90,000-gallon circular habitat in the grand rotunda.We saw turtles and long fishes, Dotted fishes, long tailed fishes, snake like fishes, Cute color fishes, etc, etc, etc

By the way forgot to tell you one thing :-? we can use camera inside the aquarium but flash should not be used. So that only you can see shilouette not the proper image. Sorry for this I cant help much.

After seeing this we went to the 4D show. Let me try to explain what we experienced there. As you all know 3D show is 3 dimensional effect which you can experience using the kannadi they provide. 4D is the experience which you can feel the effects like cool breeze, rain etc and also if somebody hits on the screen or rats creeping below your legs, these kinda of effects you feel. Its because the seats are wired so well, to give the effect to the person watching the show. It was an amazing experience. I really cant explain in words. Wish everybody can feel the same sooooooooooooonnnnnn in all our near theaters !!!

From there we went to Amphitheater to watch the show : performance of Dolphins, Beluga Whales. How cute !!!! all the Dolphins and the whales are doing exactly what the masters are instructing them and samatha solldra peicha kekardhu. Hope we were watching the show for 30 min. (Paartha time marandhu pochhu, Ha ha ha ....)

Dolphins :
Pacific White-sided Dolphins --it can leap effortlessly to towering heights of 15 to 20 feet, turn somersaults in the air, or belly flop with a dramatic splash. A suspender-like stripe runs down each side, these speedy swimmers rely on the up-and-down movement of their flukes, or flattened lobes of the tail, to propel them forward. Dolphins will eagerly ride the waves of a ship’s bow, and they have clocked speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

Beluga Whales :


They produce sounds, used to echolocate, or interpret the sound waves that bounce back to discern what food or obstacles are ahead. Echolocation is especially useful for navigating dark waters and finding breathing holes in ice.
Belugas live in the frigid waters near the Arctic Circle. Two layers of blubber pad their stocky, cigar-shaped bodies to keep them warm. Even though adults can grow to 18 feet and weigh up to 3,300 pounds, their skin color, which is slate gray at birth and gradually becomes creamy white, invisibly blends them into their icy background. Naturally sociable, belugas often chase or rub against one another. They travel in pods of three to 10 whales. Calves imitate adults to learn life skills. One trait that raises the bar in their survival is a flexible neck. A beluga can turn and nod its head to find prey, including herring, octopus, squid, clams and crabs—up to 80 pounds of food a day. It will also spit a stream of water to uncover food on the sandy sea floor.

After the show was over, we went directly to polar zone and under water viewing place. It is another wonderful place, to see penguins and Whales, Sea Otters. How nicely they all are swimming in the water. You wont feel like moving from that place.

Penguins:

Penguins suddenly jumps from the rocks and swims, come near to you. Wow !!! that's really amazing.

We will find two very different penguin species — rockhopper and Magellanic.

Among the smallest of penguins at roughly 15 inches high and 5 pounds, rockhoppers (Eudyptes chrysocome) are the eccentric ones. Their eyes glow red. Eyebrows as bright as egg yolks swoosh upward into long yellow plumes. And they are the only penguins that enter the water feet first, then burst back out and grab onto any perch they can with their beak, flippers, or feet. Rockhoppers, which live in the South Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, are named for their unusual means of self-propulsion. The steep, rocky terrain on which they breed makes it necessary to hop from one point to the next. The birds assemble in small but raucous nesting colonies, with adults braying and tussling over territory, mates and nesting materials. Rockhoppers refurbish the same nest — a ring of smooth stones — every year, with no qualms about stealing nicer-looking stones from a neighboring nest. Though they lay two eggs, rockhopper pairs generally raise only one chick, preferentially feeding the offspring most likely to survive.

The boldly banded Magellanic penguins live along the coast of southern South America, fishing the rich waters where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans intermingle at the Straits of Magellan. Both the birds and the water passage were named for the Portuguese explorer who was the first European to discover them. At more than 2 feet tall, Magellanics (Spheniscus magellanicus) are the largest of the “temperate-weather” penguins — those that don’t live in the southern polar zone — and their range overlaps with that of the rockhoppers. Magellanics are superb long-distance swimmers, and with their powerful paddlelike wings, they can zoom through the water at 15 miles per hour. They often form large hunting parties in search of cuttlefish, sardines, squid, krill and other small seafood. Unlike the boisterous rockhoppers, though, they are shy on land and withdraw to burrows under rocks or shrubs to nest. Each year when the nesting colony reassembles, each male reclaims his burrow, then vocalizes to reconnect with his long-term mate. Magellanic pairs raise both chicks, guarding them from aerial predators such as gulls and petrels.

Beluga Whales Under Water :

Sea otters :

Sea Otters are found in the Pacific Ocean, this will take food upto 25% of its weight. Unlike other marine mammals, they lack blubber to keep them warm. Instead they rely on their supercharged metabolism and dense fur to survive in the near-freezing waters.
Holding the distinguished honor of Thickest Fur in the Animal Kingdom, sea otters have 1 million hairs per square inch, this will trap millions of tiny air bubbles for retaining warmth.

Floating on its back, a sea otter will vigorously hammer a mussel or clam against a rock on its chest to pry the meal open. When they’re not grooming or eating, sea otters sleep. Sometimes they wrap themselves up in kelp like a blanket—or even “hold hands”—to keep from drifting too far off.



If you are not able to see sea otter clearly, pls come to my home i will show you the fur doll which we bought from there !!!!!

One of the main thing we felt not to miss was Coral reef.
Coral reefs are argonite structures produced by living organisms, found in marine waters containing few nutrients. In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate. The accumulation of skeletal material, broken and piled up by wave action and bioreoders, produces a calcareous formation that supports the living corals and a great variety of other animal and plant life.
Coral reefs most commonly live in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water corals exist on a much smaller scale.
Globally, coral reefs are under threat from climate change, ocean acidification, overuse of reef resources, and harmful land-use practices. High nutrient levels such as those found in runoff from agricultural areas can harm reefs by encouraging excess algaegrowth.

These are the fotos i picked from other site to show how the coral reef was in that. And from this you can imagine how much we have enjoyed the different colors and species under water.








Blacktip Reef Sharks
Blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) are common in the coral reefs and lagoons of the Indo-Pacific. Swift and sleek, their fins poke above the surface in an archetypically fearsome way. Even though they prefer shallow inshore waters, however, blacktips startle easily and tend to stay clear of humans.
Blacktip sharks grow to 6 feet long and weigh around 30 pounds. As their name suggests, their fins look as if they’ve been dipped in tar. Unlike bony fish, which have a swim bladder to keep them from sinking, a blacktip's buoyancy is the result of a large liver with lots of fatty tissue. Like many open-ocean sharks, blacktips are “obligate ram ventilators”: They have to swim 24-7 to breathe, literally ramming oxygen-rich water across their gills nonstop.
To eat, blacktips will encircle reef fish like kids around a broken piñata and attack the trapped prey.
This is again the shilouette which we took inside the aquarium and the below is from the other site

Apart from this we also saw the below :

Giant Pacific Octopus

This octopus spans 30 feet and weighs 600 pounds, adults are typically 16 feet from tip to tip and weigh between 50 and 90 pounds. Still, the giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) is one of the largest octopuses in the world. It primarily occupies the Pacific coast from southern California to Alaska and only lives three to five years.
Giant octopuses have highly developed brains and an array of amazing skills. They can change colors within seconds of being provoked. Two rows of suckers on each of its eight arms give the animal a sturdy grip: It requires a 40-pound tug to free a three-pound octopus. These suckers also act as tongues and hands, useful sensory tools when poking around for prey. Their boneless bodies enable them to squeeze into snug spaces. They can propel backwards at torpedo speed, or squirt a dark, befuddling ink to escape predators. They can pull stubborn prey (i.e. clams and crabs) apart with their arms; bite them open with their parrotlike beaks; or drill a hole and secrete liquids that corrode the shell and weaken the prey.

A female will use a natural nook or small cave as a safe haven and brooding chamber. After laying about 50,000 eggs, she tends to them with unwavering vigilance for about six months. Due to a hormonal change at spawning, she (and the male) stop eating. The female lives long enough to tend the eggs, completing her cleaning, aerating and protecting rituals. She dies shortly after the eggs hatch.

Moon Jelly :

A moon jelly’s bell-shaped upper body is coated with gummy mucus. Brine shrimp, fish larvae and other planktonic animals get stuck in the mucus, then slide down the bell to four long, frilly oral arms that move the food into the jelly’s mouth. When you see it closely, into a jelly’s glowing bell to watch not one, but four U-shaped stomachs digesting the food.

Sea Lions :
These mountainous marine mammals — 8-foot, 1,000-pound males and 6-foot, 250-pound females — can emit thundering roars.
Even newborns are noisy, vocalizing with their moms right away. Sea lions spend a lot of time on land. With their large front flippers, they can run faster than a human.Sea lions seldom drink — they get most of their water from their food. sea lions are sleek and streamlined under water, and they can swim 15 to 20 miles per hour and make tight turns to catch their prey.

If you like to have more information, pls visit : http://www.sheddaquarium.org

Now you can ask me that in the begining you said it contains 32,500 animals, but explained only few.... What to do i cant explain all and more over i cant remember the whole thing which we saw there. So pls do check in the above link for more information. Or else pls visit the aquarium which is really a worth seeing.

Thats it now !!! Will catch you soon with my other experiences.

Bye Now

Take care

Plastic bags

Plastics bag disposal and environmental cause ---This is one of the good forwarded mail which i received from my friend's circle.

Really a good one regarding plastic wastes, every one should know how much plastic bags we are using and polluting our environment.

பிளாஸ்டிக் எமன் -- ஒரு பிளாஸ்டிக் பையின் சராசரி பயன்படும் நேரம் வெறும் 20 நிமிடங்கள் மட்டுமே. ஆனால் அது மக்குவதற்கு ஆகும் காலமோ நூற்றுக்கணக்கான ஆண்டுகள்.

வகையைப் பொருத்து இந்தக் காலம் மாறுபடும். - கடலில் மிதந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் கழிவுகளில் 90 சதவீதம் பிளாஸ்டிக்கே- தற்போது உற்பத்தி செய்யப்படும் பிளாஸ்டிக்கில் வெறும் 7 சதவீதம் மட்டுமே மறுசுழற்சி செய்யப்படுகிறது. அதாவது மறுபடி பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது.

இதில் பாதி பிளாஸ்டிக் கழிவுகள் மட்டும் 4 சதுர கிலோ மீட்டர் பரப்பை அடைத்துக் கொள்ளும் தன்மை கொண்டவை. அடிக்கடி வீட்டுச் சாக்கடை, தெருச் சாக்கடை, மழைக்காலங்களில் மழை நீர் வடிகால் குழாய் போன்றவை அடைத்துக் கொண்டு நாறுவதற்கும், வெள்ளக் காடாவதற்கும் இந்த பிளாஸ்டிக்கே காரணம். இப்படி அடைத்துக் கொள்வதால் கழிவுநீர் தேங்குகிறது. ஆட்கொல்லி நோய்களைப் பரப்பும் கொசுக்கள், கிருமிகள் பல்கிப் பெருகி நோய் தாக்குவதற்கு நாமே வாய்ப்பு உருவாக்கித் தருகிறோம்.நாம் அனைவரும் கவனக்குறைவாக வெளியேற்றும் கீழ்க்காணும் கழிவுகள்தான் நகராட்சி பிளாஸ்டிக் கழிவுகளில் 50 சதவீதத்தை உருவாக்குகின்றன.

• கேரி பேக்குகள்
• காய்கறி கேரி பேக்குகள்
• மளிகைப் பொருள் அடைக்கப்பட்ட பிளாஸ்டிக் பைகள்
• பேக்கேஜிங் பைகள், சுருள்கள்
• வீட்டு குப்பை பைகள்
• வணிக குப்பை பைகள்
• தொழிற்சாலை லைனர்கள்
• மருத்துவ, ஹோட்டல்

குப்பைகள்மக்கிப் போவதற்கு ஆகும் காலம்

• பிளாஸ்டிக் பைகள் 100-1000 ஆண்டுகள்
• வாழைப்பழத் தோல் - 2-10 நாட்கள்
• பஞ்சுக் கழிவுகள் - 1-5 மாதங்கள்
• காகிதம் - 2-5 மாதங்கள்
• கயிறு - 3-14 மாதங்கள்
• ஆரஞ்சு தோல் - 6 மாதங்கள்
• உல்லன் சாக்ஸ் - 1-5 ஆண்டுகள்
• டெட்ரா பேக்குகள் - 5 ஆண்டுகள்
• தோல் காலணி - 25-40 ஆண்டுகள்
• நைலான் துணி - 30-40 ஆண்டுகள்
• தகர கேன் - 50-100 ஆண்டுகள்
• அலுமினிய கேன் - 80-1000 ஆண்டுகள்
• பிளாஸ்டிக் ரிங்க்ஸ் - 450 ஆண்டுகள்
• டயபர், நாப்கின் - 500-800 ஆண்டுகள்
• பிளாஸ்டிக் பாட்டில்கள் - எக்காலத்திலும் அழியாது

எனவே, பிளாஸ்டிக் கேரி பேக், பிளாஸ்டிக் பாட்டில்கள் போன்றவற்றை வாங்காதீர்கள். அந்தக் குப்பையை எந்த வகையிலும் உருமாற்றவோ, அழிக்கவோ முடியாது. இன்னும் 10, 20 ஆண்டுகளில் உலகம் கழிவு பிளாஸ்டிக்கால் நிரம்பி வழியும் என்று நம்பப்படுகிறது. நமது முதுமைக் காலத்தை கொஞ்சம் நினைத்துப் பாருங்கள்.பிளாஸ்டிக் பைகளைத் தவிர்ப்பதற்கு இதற்கு மேல் வலுவான காரணம் வேண்டுமா?

Although recycling bags is on the rise in the United States, an estimated 90 billion thin bags a year, most used to handle produce and groceries, go unrecycled.

"Single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere. There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme. His office advises U.N. member states on environmental policies.

According to the UNEP report, "Plastic, the most prevalent component of marine debris, poses hazards because it persists so long in the ocean, degrading into tinier and tinier bits that can be consumed by the smallest marine life at the base of the food web." According to the report, "Plastic, the most prevalent component of marine debris, poses hazards because it persists so long in the ocean, degrading into tinier and tinier bits that can be consumed by the smallest marine life at the base of the food web."

Try to avoid using plastic bags, find eco friendly products like cloth bags or paper bags. If plastic bags are used then pls make sure that they are taken for recycle.