Periyavaa sonna Perumal sonna maadhiri..

Okie for all those non tamizh speaking folks out there, this post would be like watching a French movie with subtitles.. ;-) Anyways, what does the title mean ? It goes like this.. “When elders give you an advice, its as though GOD himself is doing it.” (Alright mom, I know the translation is pathetic! )

Here's a list of things that my mom, Patti and others told us when we were kids and they continue to do it even now..

• You are not supposed to cut your nails after 6 in the evening.
• When someone sneezes when you are about to leave your house, you have to sit down and drink a glass of water (Now don’t ask me why)
• When you see a cat cross the road , you are supposed to stop right there for a second and then start walking again.
• You should not whistle during the night. It seems whistling during the night invites thieves.. (Yeah right!)
• You are not supposed to lie down or sleep during the 'velakku aethara neram' (roughly translates to 'The time when lamp is lit in front of god')
• You shouldn't sit on a pillow. Thalagani maela okkaandha kandan varum. (Now you know the reason behind the recession in America!)

The list is just endless.. Though we all know these things made no sense, we still followed it being scared of the consequences or not wanting to hurt their sentiments. We followed every rule because Periyavaa Sonna Perumal Sonna Maadhiri.. :-)