The Christmas that was …

Full of gifts for the little fella, two parties and one enjoyable train ride. This year too, Kochunni did not grasp the full meaning of Christmas, Santa Claus or the gifts – he seemed to just take everything in stride with a curious sense of joy and wonder, which after all is the true spirit of any festival. He picked up the plane and his truck as the first gifts to be opened but in a little while he took to the drawing board easel scribbling away the sun, the moon and the stars, much to my joy. (We still have to open the little doctor set which I will probably hideaway for the next rainy day).

In the evening we went to our friends Christmas party and enjoyed ourselves to some nice food and innovative party games that the hosts came up with. Isn’t it great when the host of the party really plans a party well – fun for the kids and adults. The next day being holiday I was hoping to sleep in but as usual Kochunni woke up and like the last few weekends he tried to wake us up by singing rather loudly and completely out of tune. The new thing that has also started the past weekend is to jump out of the bed and walk out into the living area – and of course being the most ultra-sensitive cautious parents one of us goes up right behind him to see if he is up to any mischief. Anyway the only good that came of getting our asses out of the bed was that I was able to get to some after-Christmas sales and bought some ornaments for the front yard for the next year. Of course hubby was cross since it meant another box in the already filled up garage.

Saturday we left early for a train trip to Sacramento along with our friends. Maybe it was the low expectations from the trip that it became all the more fun and memorable. We boarded the early morning Amtrax train and as we caught the seats in the upper level we were amazed at the clean and overall spacious little corner. We got the middle seats with tables so the kids enjoyed banging on them and driving their toy cars. The three hours were over pretty soon as we watched some beautiful coastline scenes along the way.

At Sacramento, we walked a few minutes to the little old town - Railroad museum. All of us expected (though no one admitted) it be a dud with possibly pictures of old trains, but to our real surprise they had the real trains parked inside for our viewing pleasure. From the guided tour we learned about the history and as we walked around these majestic trains we were amazed at how our forefathers would have welcomed this mode of transport – connecting people along some pretty impressive mountains and terrains that before then seemed impregnable. Of course you also hear about the wrongs of our forefathers ( the Chinese laborers were pretty much ill-treated, even though they put in equal if not more effort into building a fully functional train system), did which saddens our hearts. There is also a couple of compartments that you can board to see up close - the sleeper chair and the dinning cart along with the impressive chinaware. The upstairs part of the museum is dedicated to some wonderfully built toy cars, which was an instant hit among the boys. Kochunni loved the play area with Thomas and his friends toys and was not ready to leave until quite a bit of warning to leave him there alone. We had lunch a family style Pizza place and by the time we boarded the train for our trip back we were all exhausted. Luckily Kochunni slept for most of the ride back and we only had to entertain one kid who finally slept when it was almost time to get off the train.

We came home exhausted, but still no one could stop talking about the benefits of traveling in the train, our memories of travels back in India and how wonderful it would be if more of America was connected via trains and if it was a little bit more cheap. As we promised ourselves to look into some other nearby places to go for our next weekend get-away, we hauled ourselves home. Sunday was spent relaxing, watching some movies and attending a birthday party. And so ended our Christmas break.

How about yours? Do anything fun?

And to all a good nite!

Snow has fallen, winter has set,
The houses have been lit as the year draws to a close
Santa has started his wonderous journey
As we will soon scramble to bed.
We will be back up in a while to wrap up Kochunni's gifts
Playing our parts as Santa's little elves.
Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!


Image from Christmas MySpace Animations

Story Time

One of my fondest memory from my childhood is during the power-cut hour, sitting in front of our house in Bangalore, with my grandfather - him on his lazy chair, the rest of us on the ground, or the stairs, telling me wonderful stories. There was something mysteriously fun about sitting outside in pitch darkness with only the light shimmering from the million stars above, listening to the stories. My grandfather is one of the best story-tellers. He introduced me to Lord Krishna – through various stories – Kaliya-mardhana, Putana, Bakasura and many more. Today one little search, can land you with a million sites offering stories – folklore, mythology and everything in between. But reading is vastly different from listening to a story.

The magic is in the words, the description, the hint of mystery when some things are left to the listeners’ imagination. It cannot be long, drawn out measure because you might loose the listeners interest, nor do you want to say too much that they have nothing left to imagine. It’s definitely a talent.

When my dear Chachan (grandpa) used to tell me the story, it was his voice – rough, loud and clear that helped build the story. It was also his diction and the little details in the story that he would include. I still remember the first time he told me the story of “The Count of Monte Cristo” he remembered all the character names. Unfortunately I seem to have forgotten many of them today! (sob!) He had a craft in telling the story – like when he narrated the story of Krishna's Kaliyamardhana he would describe the dance Lord Krishna did on the snake with a little beat - "Tham Thakka ...", holding one hand like a hooded snake and the other to symbolize Krishna jumping around the various fingers.

Flash forward 25 years, now I am trying to tell stories to Kochunni – stories of wonder, stories of love and of devotion. I don’t think I have a good talent but I am trying my best. I hope that as he gets older he will enjoy story time, maybe we can sit outside, in the moonlight and build memories together.

On the other hand, he probably already has his great grandpa's talent. He is making up stories about the lion and the monkey jumping on the car and running around, drinking milk, sometimes falling over, sometimes giving you hugs. If you ask him why they fell over, he will turn around look at a spot and ask the lion why he fell, its funny, amusing and lovable. He draws in details that you don't expect from a 2 year old - of course the details might not be all that right with the lion in a green shirt or driving the fast car, but to me what matters is his thought process the fact that he is able to imagine, and to build as much detail as he is able to with his limited vocabulary to tell me a 'katha'.

Daycare updates

Its almost been a month at the new daycare of the little fella, of course with some vacations and his ill heath it hasn’t been as continuous, nevertheless. So some updates (just a fancy way of scrap booking the noticeable changes)

• For the last two weeks, when we drop him off he looks at us (reminding me of the cat from the movie Shrek) and reminds us “vegam varane” (come early). Of course, it’s the ‘drama gene’ that he has inherited but we fall for it every time.
• He loves to talk to his cars like his teacher and friends at school talk to him – so you can hear him admonishing the car “No! Go there”, “Come here”, "This is mine" etc. It’s almost as if he is practicing with his toy cars whatever new sentence he has learned in school. It’s a fun and easy way to let him play and watch the new things he is doing.
  
• This is the best part, if I jump in and explain or correct a sentence (usually correcting his grammatical errors or adding in the golden words) he looks at me in total wonder. Almost as if thinking “My amma knows this, so cool. I just thought she was a dumb girl that gave me food and rocked me to sleep” LOL!

He is talking a lot, knows his colors and recognize many alphabets. He is still weak in his number recognition and throws a fit for lot of things but (touch wood) the terrible twos are ‘almost’ under control. At least now he can somewhat explain what is bothering him. But still a long way to go, especially getting to the diaper-free zone or sleeping on his own - yes he hasn’t mastered that art yet and with his last episodes, he is back to sleeping with us so that we can monitor his breathing. Of course, its always easy to move him to our bed but the route back to his own is tougher. So with the last four-five days of sleeping with us, yesterday he was demanding that he sleep in the AC room. Needless to say, ‘miles to go before we sleep’!

Snow humor

So if you are busy with shopping and stressed out every time you see "Only 6, 5, 4 days to Christmas" - almost an end of the world sort of message, here is some holiday humor. Enjoy!

Santa is coming ...

The stores were decked out two months before and the discussions around ‘what to buy’ started even before. Now with the ‘big’ sales – Early Door busters to Midnight sales – everyone is scrambling to get something for someone.This time though I really would love a real Santa- just seems that it will save me some hard cash. :D

But then again, wasn’t the festive time more for celebration, for family gatherings and just good times. When did gifts, shopping, sales comes into it? Of course, everyone says the same exact sentiment every year and still goes ahead on a shopping spree buying items for every Tom, Dick and Harry. Will it change this year? Maybe!

The thing I love best about this time is the decked out houses, reminds me of Diwali in Mumbai – every flat would be lit up with diyas, the sweet smell of sweets, noisy kids running around, gatherings of families and of course the movies to watch over late nights. This year, since Kochunni is going to his new daycare he is more exposed to ‘Santa’ and his ways. The daycare is planning do a gift exchange next week, and we have been invited to a holiday party for this weekend. Of course, he doesn't know yet that he can start to "demand" for certain gifts (in pretense of writing letters to Santa) this year to I can try to get him meaningful gifts rather than the million plus cars and trucks he is eying for! Already got him a little doctor set, debating on a drawing board-easel combo and of course a little scoop truck just to see his eyes lit up!

That reminds me, what is everyone planning to buy this year? Any wish-lists for yourself, for your kids?

Happy B-Day DADDY!

To the dad ...

who would never forget little treats for his girl; however late he was

who would always act surprised when he finally found the girl hiding under the bed

who taught her how to ride the bike and play badminton

who always argued a case with her until another joined the fight, that they would mysteriously become best friends

who made her laugh

who wrote up a new lullaby for his grandson (still his favorite one at that)

who is and forever will be the BEST dad this girl could have ever!

Happy Birthday, Achan.

More than a common cold

Coming back from our trip from Legoland, Kochunni had cough that did not seem to go away. Later in the night his whole body was rocking as he was breathing but calling up the nurse line we were told it might just still be because of stuffy nose. The husband being extra cautious type decided to take him to the doctor, which as it turns was a good thing. It seems he had a wheezing cough that was very severe and we were already late in getting him to the doctors. Now armed with a nebulizer and a steroid drug we were sent home with strict instructions to conduct a nebulizer session every 4 hours for four days (& night) straight. Of course we were scared shitless. What was wrong with this little 3 feet guy who still seemed to be smiling and enjoying "Bob-bi-bi" (bob the builder) videos and throwing tantrums left and right.

Luckily being the Thanksgiving weekend we were home and he responded well to the medications. A follow up visit with the doctor and she was impressed. She warned us that this could be just a viral infection or could be sign of asthma. The rule of thumb to call it asthma was if it occurred again twice. We prayed to all known gods to ensure that this was just a viral infection and that the worst was over.

Days passed, and as the economy was crashing our thoughts were now racing around meeting the house payments and job security. We made a trip to Dallas and as a precaution even took the nebulizer with us. But everything was fine, that is until this weekend.

Kochunni caught the cold bug and started coughing up a storm and by Sunday morning his breathing seemed severely stressed out. We gave him the nebulizer and took him to the after-hour clinic. Our fears were coming true. The doctor diagnosed his wheezing attack and confirmed our suspicions.

We are dumbstruck, there is no family history of asthma, and at least to me the very name is wrought with horrible pictures of murderous villains hanging onto the asthma medicine playing catch as the heroes coughed up and begged for the medicine. Somehow to even think that a little 3 feet guy running around the house with infectious laughter could be so tied down is not plausible. But that is now the case, it seems.

Today was a follow up visit and Kochunni has vastly improved, but we are on the regime of 4 hours for the next 4 days. Better to be safe than sorry. The doctor does not think it is related to any allergies but could possibly be related to the cold. There are still a few months left for this winter to be over, and the question is can we beat the cold? If he does, there might not be a need for medications (steroids) otherwise …

Hoping for the best, and wishing for him to be safe.

A Wednesday

Reviews are a matter of opinions, you take it or leave it, but it also adds a little perceptive to our thoughts. We saw the movie ‘A Wednesday’ at our cousin’s house at my jiju’s insistence – really it was the battle was between Bejja Fry and Pirates of the Caribbean and somehow this little known movie won. Its just a story that happens on a Wednesday and therefore the name, It has elements of Fox’s 24 and Bruce Wills Die Hard but still is intrinsically Indian and no, not with song and dance (of which there is none) but just the visuals and the straightforward dialogues. With a great cast Shergill, Shah, Kher it promises a thriller ride for everyone (not kids of course). A couple of newcomers (I think) the TV reporter, the good cop, have done their work well too add to the whole experience.

The movie talks about terrorism in the background but mainly its about our society - the one we all live in and breathe or at least try to. Crisp (most of the time) and edgy it’s a decent movie from start to finish.



Ok, my first review reveals nothing about the movie, but that just it – for this one, go without reading too many reviews or plot lines, otherwise it will spoil the experience – I don’t want to give anything away, just know that it’s a good ride and if you don’t like it come back and we can have a discussion about it, ok? :D

Burning: Inside/Out

A couple of weeks ago, Tharini of Winkie's way's posted a text challenge - basically offering 6 words that we needed to work into a sentence, it reminded me how years ago when, as part of language exams we were given a word that we had to use in a sentence. This was one of my favorite parts of the exams - for once you could not memorize anything, had to come up with the sentences in the one hour that was given for the exam, apart from doing all the other things that was asked from us to - fill in the blanks, true or false questions etc. I would feel proud when I came up with a clever answer - it was probably not the best, and with around 80 students in the class, I am sure the teacher found lots of clever, wise, touching and amusing ones. But to me, it was a matter of accomplishment.

Two days ago, there was another challenge on Winkie's way, these were the words - 'Remind Prodded Grasped Message Companions' and the rules were to use the words as is and in 18 words or less. This is the sentence that I came up with "Prodded to action by challenge my message companions is of peace, if you have grasped please remind all."

Nothing extraordinary, far better ones have been written, but today morning as I opened up my news box & I read stories of Mumbai under attack. I shuddered, and rang up friends to make sure that they were home safe and sound. Its been 24 hours and still no resolution, and I come back to sentence that I typed up less than 24 hours before - no I am not reading too much into it, but a million questions surge in my heart, all beginning with one word "Why" I have no answer but as my beloved city, the city that I grew up in, the city that taught me so many things, the city that never sleeps, Burns .... all I say is ENOUGH!!

Enough with violence, enough with the bloody politicians who are only good at bashans; either get down from the high pedestal, get out of your bullet proof car or just shut up! And for once, join force with the people and do something about the attacks, spend money on intelligence rather than getting more money in your pocket.

Prayers to each and everyone. My eyes are moist, the places attacked are part of history, part of Mumbai's heart and soul, I feel so helpless, I cannot watch the news no more ...

A break

With a couple of PTOs that both of us needed to take we decided to take some time off work and of course being parents holiday have to be decided with kids enjoyment in mind, we decided to drive down to Lego land.

The first big car ride alone with the fella, to say we were apprehensive would be a minor statement. I packed along a few books, a little coloring notepad and some of his cars. Of course being two lazy people in the world, all packing was done on the day of travel and we started out after lunch. Realizing that we had left a few things like the camera, some slippers for the beach, we had to come back to house a couple of times before we officially started the trip at 2.30.

With no sleep in sight for the little fella (with all the running around that we did probably), we set off watching the cars and trucks driving by. After a couple of hours, he did some coloring and realizing that there is nothing to do at all, he fell off to sleep. By the time he woke up, it was time for dinner and then in an hour we were at our destination.

The next day was a nice sunny day and with a little backpack full of goodies we arrived at Legoland. Having been to Disney and Universal a while ago we were expecting long lines, throngs of kids and tired parents but were sorely disappointed. This time around, we were able to get on most rides that Kochunni loved multiple times. His favorite was the pirate ship that held a big squirt water gun that could spout water at other ships that passed us, his second favorite the car ride along lego jungle. He also did his first (mini) roller-coaster ride where he was laughing hysterically when the cart dipped a few meters downs. We finished most of the rides and areas by 4 and then went around his favorite rides some more, realizing that we had the time. All in all a great day indeed.

As it turns out Legoland is a great place for toddlers, especially boys (2+ to maybe around 3 1/2 ) where they could mostly ride all the rides except for a couple like the big dragon roller coaster and a joy car ride. Of course the next age group that would probably enjoy would be the 6-7 year olds who play a lot with lego and understand the intricately created pieces.The Miniland USA is really great place to walk around.

The next day we were to come back, but we decided to stop at the beach in the morning and spend some time playing in the water and sand. This time around, Kochunni was more relaxed in the waters and enjoyed standing knee deep in it. He also loved to play in the sand with his little bucket and pail. The ride back was much tougher than the one in, with after a good nap, for the last 2 hours of the ride, he kept asking us to stop the car and pick him up. Yes, he is pretty demanding that way!

Anyway, a nice short much needed vacation.

The first day ...

*** I wrote this post on the 18th, but never published it, so back-dating it! ***

Yesterday was Kochunni’s first day. Unfortunately I could not accompany the little guy as I had urgent stuff that I need to get done at work every Mondays so his dad took him in. We deposited the bag of diapers, wipes and lunch and bid adieu. The little guy cried at such a change in setting, as expected but a phone call half our later they told us he is fine and enjoying some coloring work. I called again at 12 and was told that he had his lunch and was now going for his nap. I rushed early from work to pick up the guy and found him playing outside – no tears, just the playful self. I was happy, cross that was very happy!

I talked briefly to the assistant and signed him out and came home. When I asked him how the day was, he kept saying two things over and over again – 1. No cycle (they used to have cycle at his old daycare), 2. Achan poi, Kochunni karieenu, teacher shush… (daddy left, I cried, and the teacher said shush with fingers on his lips action). When pressed, he also claimed that his old buddies – Mihir, Vedant and Rucha came to the new daycare! :)

When we reached home, he asked for a sandwich ; I was surprised – usually he would just try his luck for a cookie, but never real food. Talking I opened his lunch box to find that the sandwich I had packed was untouched, which meant that he was really hungry for the only other things I had packed was some grapes, a banana, a cup of milk and a little slice of pumpkin bread. I quickly made him a butter sandwich and offered it him. And wonders he ate the whole thing. My heart bled!

Today I made rice and dal, hoping that the familiarity of rice might make him eat his lunch. The weird thing though, when I called at 11.30 his teacher said he had already had his lunch and was now going to lie down and read a book before falling to sleep around 12.30. I wonder if it’s the timings of early lunch that’s making him eat less. He never had lunch at 11 and if he does no wonder he would be hungry by 5 PM. I will need to talk to his teacher about the new routine.

We all go through growing pains, I hope this is just that!

The catch!

So after full two weeks of looking (hunting) for a daycare cum preschool for the little fella we finally choose a Montessori which is 4 miles away from home but was the only one that had a better reputation and came close our liking.

The local Montessori that we checked out last was bad mouthed by Mrs S (Kochunni’s home day-care aunty). And the other Montessori that everyone loves around here is booked solid – the waiting list had 70 kids already! The other two preschools near our house, were priced so high that you would think its Oxford College or something. Not that, price should be a deterrent but it did not seemed to have the value for the money we would put in, One was just starting out, so with only 5 kids they had placed all of them together even if they were 3 or older, while the other was just a big hall split up into little sections where the teacher sat down on one end coloring and the kids in the other corner, some crying some playing. Not really a picture one would like to see on your tour of the place.

Just like last time it finally got down to bare details on what was your first instinct at the daycare, were you ready to flee, fairly ok or downright loved it. Of course there was nothing that came close to the last emotion, though that’s more so because as a mom nothing (yes nothing) can be perfect for your child other than oneself. But finally deciding on a place at least makes room for the next nightmare of how Kochunni will do at the new school!

The daycare hunt, begins again!

Monday evening:
First day after the time change, it was cold, dark and raining a little by 5 PM. As I park my car and walk up towards the back of the house to pick up Kochunni from his home daycare, the lady of the house and his teacher comes in from the front and stops me. Unusual, I think! There is not a smile on her face, just tiredness. My brain goes into fast drive, what did Kochunni do? Did he throw a fit? There were hints of it from her before, a cry over not getting the cookies first. Is that it? She suddenly turns around and looks at my face and probably understanding where my thoughts are leading, hastens to point out that everything is ok, but that she wanted to talk to me about something.

With an urgency I probe, what is it? Finally settling into her sofa opposite me, she tells me about an black out incident that happened to her last week, while picking up her daughter from school. She lost sight and was blurry for a full 45 minutes, and checkups with doctors reveal that she might need some more examinations. She hastens to explain that she would like to shut down the daycare for now to take care of her health.

What a bomb! I was not prepared to be back into the “daycare hunt” so soon. I ask again (not wanting to accept it), is it so bad, she has two helpers, and not so many kids anymore. But her mind is made up, and she gives me other daycare numbers that I could check out. My heart bleeds for her, and for my son. This lady who for the past 8 months looked after my son, played and taught him so many things. This was his second home. Now he needs to find another place and move on.
I called my husband on my way home and my brain was still in overdrive, trying to look at possibilities. Should we look for a proper pre-school or still keep him in a home based daycare? Where are all those little chits of paper of daycares and nannies that I had dealt with just a few months back?

Tuesday night:
After a long day of work, I reached home to find the little fella sitting at his chair, while his father cooking. My stomach grumbled, but we needed to visit the two daycares that Kochunni’s teacher had suggested. I decided to quickly feed the little fella and in between called up both places to go visit them later. In a few minutes, the three of us bundled up and head towards the first house. It was further away than the current one, but the house was clean, spacious and kid-friendly. The lady, Ms. H, seemed quite nice. We leave for the next house, the house is clean, spacious too. Then she walked us to the play area – the garage! Yes, you heard it the garage – it was converted into the play area, by throwing in some carpets, pictures and toys. I am dumbstruck, and I can see my honey walking in circles looking down on the floor - that either means he is in deep thought or he is very upset, I voted for the second - but I went with the motions of asking about food, & activities that she manages. Slowly we said our goodbyes.

As we drove back, both of us said immediately, no way with the second house. I am not letting my son sleep every afternoon in a place that could extra cold in winter and extra hot in summer, with no windows and just a measly light coming from the glass (closed) windows. Hd was upset enough to call the child services and talk to them about how kids shouldn’t be left in the garage for full days as it might be harmful with the heater and washer/dryer and other stuff still in the garage. It basically boiled down to the fact that the we only had one place to go.

Wednesday:
I decided I need to start my rounds of calling up places and after much deliberation called up the local Montessori and I went to check the place in the evening. The place was neat, tidy and the children all well behaved, as expected! The owner an European lady who asked the right questions and remained friendly and yet business like, persuasive and yet motherly.

The tiny little chairs and tables for the little kids with all the neat little sections for the kids reminded me harshly that this would mean a real school experience for the little fella. My heart churned, is he ready for such a change? I missed my family terribly at that moment, and wished for a miracle for them to be with us just so that I could push the inevitability a little further. Then I tried to reason, at the end of it all I cannot afford for Kochunni to be in a daycare where the person is having issues with her health (not fair for either), nor there is a possibility of me to stay away from my job. The only option would be to send him either to the family daycare, so that for some more days, even months, he gets individual attention or to a preschool that prepares him to harsher realities of routine and curriculum sooner than later!

Thursday morning:
Still undecided. But blogging! :D

'Tis was the night ....

Of jubilation's, of tears, of winning! And wonders of wonders, a nation, a world watched an historic event unfold. As Obama made his speech, his words rung true to millions of Americans across the country –“ Yes, we can” do what we set our heart & our minds to do.

And as I see little Kochunni say the same slogan like his favorite TV character I can dream a little dream – maybe the world will be a better place and change is in order. Who knows in another 48 years, he could be running for President himself and would have a fair chance of winning, if he so chose.

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can."

The evening that was ...

Boo-tackular and b-elicious! Halloween of course. Kochunni dressed up like his favorite character “Bob the builder” with a tool belt, orange vest and light brown suspenders’. And even if I say so myself, he was just too cute!

First stop, his amma’s Spooktacular party last Wednesday … I picked up the little fella from daycare right after naptime and drove him to the party and he even got to see my little cube, he kept saying “Amma office” – finally (I guess) he was happy to see that his dear mother disappeared each day to this 4 by 4 place rather than some exotic location! There was candy, little games and a walk of fame that he enjoyed at the party. A sort of dry run to the actual event.

On Friday, after much debate of either taking him to the mall or just to the couple of houses down the street, we decided to call on our friend. Luckily, with the mom resting with her newborn she was happy to leave her older girl at our house to go trick-o-treating. Kochunni was happy and followed his chechi (elder sister) to every house in the neighborhood that had a light on, banged his hammer on the door and repeated “trick or teeet” and a little Thank you. He did not understand what one was supposed to do after the people deposited the candy in his pumpkin and at one house he even left it right there and came running back to me!

Finally as it started to drizzle we headed back home, to give some kids who came by our house, some candy. At last count, Kochunni’s chechi had 37 candies while he had around 25. Though neither were allowed to eat any, one because she had just lost her two teeth and was told sternly by the doctor – no candy today or your teeth will bleed, and the other because for one more year, he doesn’t exactly know what candies are! :D

But now though the bigger question, what do I do with the 25 candies + the two bags of candy that I bought? Maybe the witches of Halloween would come by and make it disappear. Poof!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Diwali

Wish you all a very happy diwali, may the lights shine on you and your family and bring you all the happiness.

We celebrated Diwali in grand style this weekend at the temple where I got some henna done on my hands and Kochunni wore the kurta that we had bought for his first birthday. At first he was freaked out by the outfit and kept trying to pull it off his head, when finally I showed him his dad’s kurta he was satisfied that this was not some atrocious “girly” outfit! :D

The Diwali mela was nice, with lots of music, food, dance by kids to popular songs like 'Pappu cant dance' and 'Krazzy 4'. It was amazing how many picked on these same songs, but still managed to come up with totally different styles to each. Kochunni enjoyed these numbers extremely and was dancing in the chair, reminding me that next year he could on stage.

At home, these past few days we lit up a few diyas and enjoyed family time. It was a cute sight as I lit the diyas, Kochunni standing right next to me folding his hands in prayer. I hope that one day I could be in India during this time for him to also enjoy some firecrackers and the sparkles all over. But with the festive season beginning there is lots to look forward ...

Are TV shows changing?

Please tell me that they are…. For I do long for a change. When we ordered Direct TV last year I had hoped that watching some good old desi-TV would be a good break from the reality TV shows that now have filled up most of the prime spots on the television. When horrors I realized that the soaps with its regressive values still run the gamut of Indian television! Have you seen the ad for Grihasti – what with the some 7 odd women who have ‘lost their only male support’ Are you kidding me? Reading the news today about the end of the Kyunki saga – brings a little cheer in me. Could it be possible that Indian TV is moving to something more that these oft written lines of “Maa, Bahu, Saas, and the exploitative family members? How can one person be all good and another all evil, has never made sense to me. Add to this the background score of each of these shows - what’s with big drum roll for every turn the eye makes!

Maybe just maybe things will change? At our friends request we watched the show Akkara Kazhchakal on YouTube to realize that better shows could come into existence if only, people cared. The basic premise of the show is to show a Malayalam family living in the US – the daily trials and tribulations that they could face – all with a dose of humor often exaggerated situations but that which anyone who has lived here for a while could relate to. The show is not like a typical soap opera but looks more like a mirrors the daily life - not the dressed up poor bahu and the her saas always eating something.

So here’s hoping for a well deserved change.

Can we do this?

Its Blog Action Day TODAY! I think it should be an ACTION day every day, even every minute if possible.

India is one of the biggest growing nations these days, people seem to have enough cash to buy their iPODs/iPhones to their Swifts and everything in between. Places are lined with malls, inviting the wealthy to spend. Turn around, do you see that little street urchin who hasn’t had a proper meal possibly for two days straight?

Yesterday’s BBC news had this article on their front page - Hunger in India states 'alarming' – as I read it I remember the incident a few weeks ago when honey had to run to Safeway to get a pack of diapers that we ran out on. It seems that electricity had gone out for a couple of hours before at Safeway and now they were instructing employees to take the milk and other frozen items out to be thrown away. YES thrown away … because of the liability issue! Both husband and I racked our brains on what they could have done instead – called some other Safeway location and transferred some stuff there – of course transport could be an issue. Called up a local charity/orphanage and donate at least in part? Again liability issue. I am sure if it was India, they probably could have just yelled and in a hour all the stuff would be taken away within minutes by the poor. But nothing of that sort happened and I guess the food was taken away to be dumped!

I felt so helpless that day and even today when I think about the incident. I regret not being able to do anything!

But it doesn’t stop me from doing things I can do today and everyday. I admit these are small things, but “boond boond se sagar bana” (little drops makes the ocean).

1. Stop buying truckloads of bottled water – get a filter instead and use tap water. Take a bottle to office, so you don’t use the paper cups or bottle water.
2. Don’t waste food. Period.
3. Recycle, Reuse.
4. Plant something.
5. Donate.
6. Shout at honey or little Kochunni or anyone if I see the tap left open while they are brushing their teeth (they are getting much better about it, these days).

Here’s more.

Go ahead, do something. Like John F. Kennedy said "...ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" your World. Just do the little things and hope that there’s still a beautiful world left when our kids & grand kids grows up!

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Please do join the Blog Action Day - 2008, if you can. Go ahead, and do tell me if you do!


Image from: BBC News and Blog Action day site

So many words, yet so little

There was talk on a radio show that I often listen to on my way to work about Ivana Trump getting married to her boyfriend who is quite a few years younger to her. They kept calling her a “couger”. Now, in reality couger is a mountain lion or panther – a beautiful animal native to the Americas. But here the reference is more of an older woman who preys on younger men. Note the word is even the #1 buzz word according to Time.

This got me thinking how many words we use to describe woman’s exploits and some of it is just not fair ...A married man dating another woman is just a cheat but his girlfriend becomes a mistress, if the situation were reversed the man still doesn’t have an equivalent to the word mistress while the women would be called a b**ch. Again the word is not ugly by itself – it’s just the female of the dog specie – an animal who is loyal and cute; but the connotations it draws in the minds of people is of a hard core woman who will do anything to get what she wants.

Of course, you might argue, that one should love being called a couger for the matter of empowerment and all. I mean here is this reversal of the typical December-May romance. But calling any human being with an animal name is never in my books a good thing? Not that an animal is anyways better or worse than humans, it just doesn’t seem fair to either species. What say you?

(image from: http://weblogs.cltv.com)

Angels

Saturday, honey came back from a two week long trip to India and it was perfect. Kochunni got tons of books that my mom sent, a little wrist watch and even a wooden car that he played around for hours on end. Of course poor honey was tired from jet lag, but the little fella wanted to do everything with his “Acha” (daddy) – from sleeping on his shoulder to playing.

By Sunday he was in full swing with all his parental duties. When evening came, we decided to go out and get his car cleaned up for office today. Of course we ran late and the place that we usually go to closed up at 6 PM. Since the car was dirty we decided to stop at this new place. Five minutes into the thing made us realize that they were less efficient than the ones we normally go to – and this would take more than half hour to get the job done. It was cold and already getting dark, I was sure Kochunni would get bored within a few minutes and looked around on what could be done.

Right opposite to us was a pumpkin patch and I decided that might be the best thing for me to do with the little fella. We walked across the street, the little guy holding my hand and exclaiming at all the cars that were going past right beside us. When we reached the counter he was exited and when I finally let him loose in the little jumper his joy knew no bounds. He jumped, he tumbled and he flipped to his heart’s content. After a little while, I asked him to come out thinking that it might be best to start our walk back to the car.

As he came out, he saw the little stairs going up for the big kids to come down the slide. He asked me, could I go amma? I was skeptical and answered back, sweetheart I can’t come there with you, you will have to go on your own, can you do that? He immediately looked straight into my eyes and nodded his head in a yes. I was surprised and little worried. I knew he would not get hurt being an air jumper set but still he could tumble down and get frightened. I again tried to explain that you need to go alone, can you do it? He started to pull my hand towards it. I finally decided to let him go and helped him climb the first two steps. As I looked, he walked up the first few stairs and then as the little stairs started to curve at the top, he was on all fours. My heart beat a little faster but I noticed that the girl right behind him, instead of pushing past him, was beginning to help him. I smiled and realized that there was now a queue of kids behind, and as the girl did not go past him, everyone had slowed down to meet Kochunni’s pace. I walked over to the side of the slide and waited for the little guy to emerge. Right at the top, he looked down and smiled and when I asked him to come down (almost afraid that he might just sit there) he perfectly did what I had asked of him at every other slide he has been too – sit down and move up close to the slide and then come down smoothly. Due to the big slope he just whipped down in an instant and with a triumphant smile walked over. I was beaming with joy!

Of course, one time is never enough and he asked “Eeniyum” (again), I gently reminded him we need to leave and started to dial hubby’s number, they were already done with the cleanup and were on their way. Kochunni was still pulling me to the steps and trying to climb the first step, as I quickly hung up the phone and helped him on. This time right after the first few steps he fell and almost slid backwards. As I shouted to Kochunni to be careful and hold the edges, a little boy probably around 4-5 turned around and asked me “Should I help him?” Of course, please do. So this time the boy helped him all the way and even waited for Kochunni to finish his slide before plunging himself. I yelled a big thank you and asked Kochunni to do the same.

As I walked Kochunni back, I realized what great kids the two kids were, I probably forget their faces in a few days and only remember some varied details like the girls pink and white sweater and boy’s dark blue shirt and trousers and curly mop of hair. But what they showed me yesterday was that even without any adult supervision kids are intrinsically good, not bullies nor little terrors that we often imagine them to be!

Thank you, my two angels for helping my son to do the things he ought to be doing, to let him grow just a little today! I hope one day Kochunni repays our debt and helps some other hapless little 2 year old.

No man's land

In high hopes that Kochunni will be trained to sleep on his own, in his own room, we moved him to his room that has all the things a boy could desire (or so we hoped). We had painted the room a nice shade of blue and adorned one wall with pictures of cute animals – a hippo, a giraffe, an elephant. A nice placard displaying his name in bright orange colors. A little night-light atop the dresser. After great reluctance at the said move (read cries of horrors) I had this brilliant idea of sleeping next to his crib in the small bed pulled up close to him to help him sleep and once he was asleep I would move back to our room. In theory doesn’t this seem like a great plan?

Now let me show you some loopholes – One he hasn’t yet mastered the plan of sleeping through the night, which means around 11 or if we were lucky around 4-5 AM he would yell “Ammmmmma” And I had to run from our room to his and get into bed with him. Not that I minded sleeping with him – it was just the knowledge that he might call that made it harder to sleep well. There have been nights when I woke up with a start walked to his room and realized the little fella was sound asleep. Another big loophole is that I have supposedly left with no room in my own house!

Let me explain, when I lie down with him during the night after our little prayer we talk about this and that (insert cars and trucks). Sometimes when he seems restless and not wanting to sleep I would complain and tell him to be quiet since daddy, grandma and his amma now want to sleep. One time this led to a sudden revelation & Kochunni mentioned that his grandma occupies the middle room, his dad the AC room while he sleeps in his room. Of course, I couldn’t resist his reasoning and tried to explore further, so what about amma, I ask. Doesn’t his amma have a room? Poor boy he was at a loss of words for once. I laughed and let it go, that is until yesterday when I posed the same question. This time he had an answer. He looked straight into my eye and said “Amma lavele chaachi” (Amma you sleep in the morning).

So now I am left with no room, having to sleep when all the world is awake. Thank you, dear son that’s just wonderful.

Tag - Random Questions

Mystic Margarita tagged me to doing some real soul-searching, so here goes:

The rules for the tag are:
RULE #1 People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
RULE #2 Tag 6 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by continue this game by sending it to other people.

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
A modified version of the 5 stages of grief – Anger, Depression, Anger again, possible Revenge, and then Acceptance . Of course, the relationship will not last and I would walk out into the sunset.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be?
Everyone be happy and Thrive

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
Kochunni – but since I have promised myself not to hit the little fella, I guess he goes scott-free!

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Quit work, go on a world tour with bags full of shoes, bags and just STUFF!

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Nope.
6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone?
Tough cookie. Being loved by someone because that means you are doing something right in this world.

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love?
Till death.

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do?
Move on.
9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be?
Would have to be two – Child Abuse and Ecological Destruction

10. What takes you down the fastest?
Something untrue that someone might say

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
An old, uncool mom of a teenager!

12. What’s your fear?
Losing my family

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
An enigmatic person, who is mysteriously beautiful and intelligent!

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor?
Married to my lover and be poor.

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Go back to sleep.

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick?
Don’t think that’s possible in this lifetime.

17. Would you give all in a relationship?
YES!

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done?
Nope. A true scorpion. Once bitten you are in my black list FOREVER :D

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship?
The relationship I am in.

20. List of 6 people to tag: Take it up if you like, not doing any linking right now! Way too lazy and still have another tag to do …

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Here’s another tag from Tessie , which is almost along the same lines:

1. What have you realized recently?
That I am a mom first, and so always will come second!

2. Have you given your first kiss away?
Yup!

3. If you were to be stranded on a deserted island, who are the 11 blog buddies you would take? The question should be if they will want to come with me?

4. Where is the place you want to go the most?
Amchi Mumbai – this place will always have a soft corner for me

5. If you have one dream to come true, what would it be? (see above)
6. Do you believe in seeing the rainbow after the rain?
Yes, always look out for them too!

7. What are you afraid of losing the most now? (see above)
8. If you win $1 million, what would you do? (see above)

9.If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Already did!

10. List out 3 good points about the person who tagged you.
Great writer, Sweet girl, Uber cool

11.What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
“Requirements” – LOL that sounds like I can make him out from a science lab. Wish it was that easy!

12.What type of people do you hate the most?
Liars, Cheaters, people with double standards

13. What is the one thing you can’t live without?
Air, My Family

14. If you have faults, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
Throw a hint first and see how I react and then decide to speak up or shut up! ;)

15. Are you a shopaholic or not?
Window shopper yes.

16.Find a word to describe the person who tagged you
Writer

17.If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?
My temper

18. What’s the last shocking thing you’ve seen or heard?
The earth is round! Still reeling from that one! :D

19. Would you rather have love but no money or money but no love? (see above)


So there ends the tags .... had fun folks?

Two in a row ...

That does mean I am becoming popular, right. Thanks Ray for this wonderful award …. Just have to figure out if I cash this thing, right!? LOL!



In keeping with tradition I pass on this award to some very good friends ~

The ‘Mystic’al rock star with a ‘Margarita’ in her hand

The 'glowing’ Ms. Extraordinaire ;)

The lovely Miss whose posts make the ‘highpoint of any day’

An 'exotic mind'

A 'writer' in making.

(you might have won these awards already, but this is just to say, that you guys have touched my hearts time and again)

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.

~Japanese Proverb

In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.

~ John Churton Collins

Will you be my friend?

Preethi awarded me a Friends Forever award! Yipee-kiee-yay!!! A friend for all seasons, forever and ever, how can I thank you enough, my dear! How abt if I …. (go ahead fill in the blank, I will take it up, scouts honor!) :D


Making friends or rather “choosing your friend” is such a huge responsibility. As kids it doesn’t matter, the little boy smiled I smiled back, the little girl had a beautiful doll so I walked up to her. If they responded they became your good or even best friends. I see that with Kochunni too. When we are at the playground, he will watch other kids for a second – see what they are doing. Then, most of the times, he will look at me questioningly – almost as if to say , can I go amma? I encourage him, unless it’s the big kid going off to the bigger jumper, or the bigger slide – then I tell him you need to grow up a little bit. Kochunni eyes loses its shine for a moment, and it tugs my heart. So I try to compensate, can Amma try to catch you? His face lit’s up again and he is happy. When he does make friends with kids his age at the park, at the birthday party, he enjoys the time spent together. Its wondrous to see the friendship forming. Of course, he is likely to forget it in years to come, but a day will come soon enough when he starts to choose his friends,& I hope he chooses wisely.
Some friendships are meant to be for a lifetime, others dwindle into memories. I guess that’s were today’s Orkut’s and Facebooks helps us. They let us friends find us, updating each others ‘profile’. But in many ways its mere re-acquaintance. Gone are the days when they know so much more about you, when you would plot ways to stay out late or cook up stories to get away from class. But then again, we have all grown up …

When I started to blog, it was merely to write my ideas out, probably a “brand new way” to scrapbooking. But it has become more than that. Even though still a mommy blogger at heart, my soul is starting to fly to places unknown far and wide. My first readers were none others that my parents miles away from home, it became a way for them to connect to me and Kochunni. Along the way, something interesting happened - I made friends. Some through comments left behind, some through the cool shower we organized, some through just browsing around. I have only met one of the girls yet, but I feel like I might know so many more. The boundaries of time, space have not bound us, and we are so in tune to each other. I hope someday very soon, I do meet a lot of them; not that it really matters I guess, but to give each of you a hug for making my day far more interesting that it is really.

In keeping with tradition I pass on this award to some very good friends

DDMom – I hope you are settled down, and come back to the blog-o-sphere with witty tales on your two adorable girls soon

Abha – Here is a girl whose Smile can brighten anyone’s day, and with her little Cubby really makes our days in blog-o-sphere wonderful, plus she is from Bombay – need I say more … You see, Bombaykiers always tend to gravitate towards each other even if we are no longer in Bombay.

NM – If a girl can keep three very dynamic blogs going at the same time, have time to play with her Betu, work her magic at work and basically be a superwoman – come-on don’t you want to call her your friend! :D (Hmm I think you already got one, but you can still be my friend too, right, or maybe Betu can be friends with Kochunni?)

Wunderyearz – She hasn’t been blogging regularly these days, but she was one of my early friends in this blog world. I hope you are doing alright, girl friend.

Mira's Mom – A new friend. I hope our friendship blossoms ….

Ray - A chirpy, vibrant personality. Go check out her blog, but be forewarned that you will be addicted!

Dottie - one word - SUPERCOOLPERSON - ok maybe three, but you get the picture! :D

Kodi’s mom - A doting mom of two great kids, her honest heartwarming posts brings out a smile (read Aww, and ooohs) every time.

I know I am probably missing quite a few, so bear with this old grey-haired lady as she tends to forget stuff way to easily these days. Friends forgive right! :D Hugs!

Paani Paani Re

Kochunni it seems is scared of water (paani), or so we have been led to believe…

This summer I made a lot of efforts in trying to get him to have some water fun … a little plastic pool for him to sit out, a little pichkari (watergun) to spray water with and of course the sprinkler mat for his birthday. But no, none of it made him like water any better. Every time a droplet of water was upon him he would cry his heart out and ask us to change his clothes.

When finally, at a friend’s birthday party, seeing other kids having a ball sitting inside the pool he at least was ready to stand in knee length water & I was overjoyed – but he would not sit down or splash waters like the other kids and instead would wail if water fell upon him. He would much rather play on the jumper that they had.

We tried again two weeks ago on our trip to Santa Cruz boardwalk. And even with his big sister sitting down on the side of the beach, letting the water run all over her, he was too scared to even let his feet get wet. The only thing that worked was for us to carry him around and pretend to dip him in water and let his hands touch the icy cold waters.

My husband of course was very happy to see all this … claiming he has more of “his DNA” than mine. For me, I love water – the beaches, the rain. I could get wet and do a “Main Teri Rani to Raja Mera” number in one gusto. (ok maybe not, just remembered the song when I found it in my old music collection :D)

Finally yesterday we got to see some of his true colors. We were at the local nursery to buy some plants for our front yard. Now this nursery had a some fountains around for display with the water running. Of course, for whatever reason, the plumbing seemed not well done, and there were little rivulets of water running from these fountains. The water mixed with the soil from the other plants was completely mucky. The first time we ran across one of them in the store, Kochunni looked at and walked away. In a little while as I was busy picking flowers, he started to walk over to the water and examine it more closely. Within a few seconds, he figured out the fun it might be to actually jump in the water to make a nice little splash!!!

Where did the innate boyishness come from I wonder? And why did you not tell me my little prince that it was mucky waters that appealed to your senses than the fresh waters from the tap?

Happy Onam 2009

With a small attempt at the traditional pookalam in front of the house, Onam celebrations are at full swing at our house.
Here's wishing everyone a great Onam.

Classic TV, anyone?

My oldest TV memory is not of any shows but about our black and white Crown TV with a shutter that I used to play with.The one show I really remember watching as probably a 5 year old is “Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot” this was about the time that doordarshan introduced half hour for children. All my kids would end our playtime early and run to watch this show from 7 PM. My favorite being the day that my cousin brother who used to claim everything in Bangalore is sooo much better than Bombay wrote to me after his trip to our place that summer, saying that he missed the show. :D

Much later with DD Metro started, we had shows like 100 (Ek Shuniya Shuniya) a Marathi cop show, and afternoon shows like Trishna. During summer DD Metro had shows from 12-1 just for kids with Baigan Raja, and other short stories etc. So many great shows like Malgudi Days (still love the haunting title music), Byomkesh bakshi (probably my first crush) Dekh Bhai Dekh, Fauji, Circus, Flop Show etc were hot fav's during the time it ran.

When I was around 10-12 Farmaan totally rocked my boat with its love story – the rudeness with which the Nawab dictated to the girl he loved and the way she stood her ground against him made it fun to watch. Great actors and a good plot. Surabhi was another fav that introduced us to Renuka Shahane.

There were other great shows too, though today I don’t remember much about them like – Nupur (Hema Malini), Udaan (Laalita (?) from the Surf ads … totally wanted me to become a cop when I grew up), Wagle ki duniya, Zabaan Sambhalke (though probably Mind your language was far better), Ek Do Teen Char – a kids show, Nukkad and so many more. Of course then there were the mythological ones on Sunday with Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Now memories is one thing but how many of these do you think can stand the test of time? I recently found Fauji on Netflix and ordered the set and towards the end, I was starting to get bored. On the contrary Dekh Bhai Dekh still seemed to tickle me with some of the antics of the Diwan family. Byomkesh Bakshi on you tube was still interesting enough (or maybe I still have a soft spot for the guy). I just noticed that they have Johnny Sokko on Netflix Instant watch – let’s see how that holds up to my childhood memories (this is the reason for this post about long forgotten shows)

Sometimes I do wish we have a "desi" TV land - which showcases the best of classic TV for the new generation.

Question: What were your favorite shows, back then? And which of them do you think you could still watch today?

Ed: Here's a comprehensive list that a blogger has put together. Impressive isn'it?

Are you being served?

Over the weekend we had relatives come over & so we decided a trip to Santa Cruz boardwalk was the best thing to do with three kids - one of whom who really wants to get into the beach, even if she was sick, and one grey haired lady who never denies herself the beach if the possibility arose. So anyway, we made the trip (more on that later). And what fun it was, and after 3 hours of rides, sand and water we decided it was time to come back to reality.

Since it was already 8PM by the time we reached the car, we decided to eat out, before the kids feel asleep in the car ride back. So honey checks his new ultra gadget (phone) and finds a restaurant and the directions for the same. We get there and ask for a table for 8. The owner/manager asks the waiter to join two table together so we can be seated together. We sit down and wait. So good so far, then our luck turns!

Now when you are with kids its a big gamble on what they might or might not eat, so after much discussions, we finally order some rotis, 4 curries and full plate veg birayni that supposdly comes with extra pulav, raita and roti, we were hoping that if the biryani turned out spicy they can at least have the pulav and raita.

When the food finally arrives, the kids love the panner pakoras over everything else. But the mommies wouldn’t let go in trying to add some rice and vegetables into their tummies. So we check with our waiter – where’s the pulav? He apologizes and decides to go & check back with the chef. Comes running back and says Veg Biryani does not come with pulav. We are puzzled and explain it says on your menu and ask him to get the menu and pointdely point it out. He checks the menu and had the decency to look embarrassed and walks up to the owner/manager – explaining the situation. Not sure what is 'really' exchanged between the two but our waiter comes over apologizing that we still cannot have our pulav, but if we switch our order of a curry to a dinner he can get a plate of pulav, raita, roti and salad. We look at each other in disbelief and say “ok Fine”.

Now you would think this was the last straw but no, when the receipt comes for the dinner, they seems to have added extra gratuity just for the fact that we joined two tables!!! WTF!

I have heard stories about bad etiquette at the restaurants before, like the time when my friend saw the waiter check the tip she left behind, but this one takes the cake. I mean I am sure they had enough pulav, raita to offer us, and instead on just saying ‘sorry our mistake’, they pretty much asked us to change our order around to accommodate them! And for what a few extra bucks?!

The food was fine, except maybe a tad too oily, but I wouldn’t go back there ever!

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Edited to add: Just checked online and it looks like they have a history in bad service … wonder how it’s still running!

It’s been years since ...

... I have had an ardent follower, who shows his utmost displeasure at my exclamations of love – the frowning of the brows, the angry look, lifting his hand ready to beat up my poor lover. Before you get any ideas let me introduce you to my dearest little 2 year old – who was royally upset with my husband and I.

What not me the center of your universe, he seemed to want to say. But for once we laughed, and hugged and blew each other a kiss. The poor guy realized that he better be inside the circle of love than out, and so came running to hug onto his father’s legs. We picked him up and blew some kisses to his cheek and he sat there happily satisfied – a look in his face that said – see all’s well now! :D

With a great start to the day, husband and I caught up over lunch- an impromptu lunch date. Of course, we ended up talking about our son, the house and work. But what the heck, we tried a new Middle eastern restaurant, spoke in loud voices over the crowds and generally had a great time.

In the evening we made a trip to the temple and asked for Lord Ganapati’s blessings. Then went out for dinner – where for a change Kochunni was on his best behavior. So there ended a beautiful day.

Happy Anniversary, my dear husband. Here’s to many more years of growing old with you! Cheers!

The long weekend

For the past several years we have routinely made a trip someplace for the Labor Day long weekend – it was our annual anniversary celebration, plus the end of summer getaway – sort of the last hurrah. This year though we had no plans, but it turned out to be one roller coaster ride after all.

On Saturday we decided to make a trip to the Palo Alto Junior Zoo & Museum. It’s really a small place, but packed with lot of fun for toddlers. There are rabbits, turtles, fishes and a small pond for the ducks, and a little “bridge” for Kochunni to walk up and down as if some sort of a king! A miniature cage for the rats, while a darkened corner for the bats and the owl. (Kochunni really got scared of the sleeping owl – it was so huge and was sitting with his eyes closed, reminded me of Dumbledore for some weird reason).

The museum area was fun for the little guy as he tried his hands at every toy around. It’s definitely a place to be, when you have nowhere else to be. I am sure Kochunni will outgrow the place quickly, since it is really a mini zoo cum museum but for the opportunity it provides with its clean surroundings and close to the heart of the bay area and light on the purse (they only ask for a merger $3 donation) it is well worth it. (recommended to all bay area moms and dads)

The next day we decided to make a trip down further to the Oakland Fairyland. Now this is definitely a privatized version of Palo Alto Zoo, and no I am not even comparing it to Disneyland with its acres of attractions and fun.Its definitely not a place to be if you have a kid who is over 3 (max 4) once past that age it’s a sheer waste of time and money. But for a two/three year old it can be fun. For a two year old its more about the slides, the whale (Kochunni was so happy trying to get to the little fishes on the slippery slope) and the little carousal. For a three old who knows all the rhymes and nursery stories, it can probably be a wonderland – with the puppet shows, different set ups based on the stories. As for us, (the grey haired oldies) you can be happy if you see a happy child right! Ah well! Of course, you cannot get in without a child (there is a board at the front desk – No child without adult and no adult without a child) so I guess they are fair. One tip: If you are taking a boy – don’t bother with the Magic key – he is not going to have the patience of inserting it into the boom box and listening to the song, when he can rather run in circles trying to make his mama lose some weight. So if you still have a toddler at your house, do make a trip – don’t compare it to Disneyland and you shall have a day of fun.

By Monday I was down with a cold and woke with my eyes burning hot and heavy (I think it was my husband who brought it home last weekend from office, I just hope the buck stops with me). We decided to call it a movie day and ended up watching one of my favorite police detectives John McClane see what he does best – beat up bad guys at their own game in Live Free and Die Hard. So what if the story had holes in it like the size of the watermelon, if he can still say his famous line “Yippee ki yay …” with a sly smile on his face I am down for another movie all about McClane! :D

So that was our weekend, and I am now looking forward to a short week and of course high hopes for a special day tomorrow! ;) How about you, how was your last weeks of summer?

Flashlight memories

Don't you miss someone when they are gone and you realize how much you depended on them. But until they are gone you find so many faults in them that one would think you would rather not keep in touch with them. I am talking about my laptop (in case anyone was getting any other ideas). Its one of the best love-hate relationships I have had for a longest time now. I was happy for a time when I got a Mac, but now that's gone, & with no real hope of getting another one, I am forever in this limbo of "I hate you, but please don't leave me" mode.

So my PC crashed and I was out of it for more than a week. In the meantime, I was loaned an old rickety one, but that meant slow everything! Horrors of all, I lost all the saved URLs and could not keep in touch with blog friends, (yes I should sign up for a reader, but am too lazy to bother, if you haven't noticed yet that is). On the other hand life moved on, my work load piled as I was out of my PC (yes saying it again) and with two colleagues out on vacation I have additional backing up responsibilities. So in the interest of keeping my blogging up, here's something that I had written in 2002 for my speech class, that I found over the weekend while cleaning up - posting it here for posterity! Enjoy!

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Back during the school years, we had the shift system in Mumbai - primary school was in the afternoons while secondary from 5th through 10th in the mornings (7 through 1PM). Pre-primary or nursery was probably the best times for kids from around 10 to 12. One of the episodes that I still remember vividly occurred while I was still in nursery ...


Coming home from schools, on sunny afternoons had special meaning to my little heart. Amma used to pick us up from nursery and once home a nice hot, delicious lunch was always ready. After a quick nap and a few hours of studies it would be time to play. All my friends would gather at the playground and decide what we were going to do that day. It would be fun, filled with laughter and fights.

But on afternoon my playtime would end. I fell down the stairs, in an attempt to 'catch' my best friend. The incident occurred when the two of us were running up and down our apartment stairs playing catch, while my mom was talking with her's at their doorstep. All I got was a piece of red frock she was wearing and then I tumbled down just and broke my arm. My cries brought Amma running to me and she took me home - she put some Iodex and checked my arm when she realized that it was possibly broken - since it looked twisted. Those were the days when only a few houses had a telephone and cars, plus only a few of the people were at home since it was a working day. She called on one of the elderly couple who had a phone too and asked them if they could call my dad and let him know. The kind uncle not only did the same, he accompanied Amma to the nearby hospital. I don't remember much of that day, as I was most of time
in pain, crying and hungry. I must have dozed into sleep often and once when I woke up it smelt like like an aftermath of fire - everything around me was white tiles and people in white as well (I have hated that color since then). Amma later told me, that she was moved around quite a bit in trying to get to meet with a doctor to check me up - the lines long and day melted away in the throngs of people and noise. The only two other things that I can remember from that day, was being seated in a little park area and seeing my dad walk in, I was very happy to see him - Daddy's girl that I was! :) Another piece that stayed in mind was the ride home, late at night and a few visitors that came by to check up on me (I guess the news had spread by then).

Over the next few days I realized what the doctors visit meant in reality - I could not move my right arm. I could not even see it. My fingers were sticking out of a white plaster around my arm (put to straighten my arm, which was broken). In the days that followed, I could not play, write or even wear my dresses properly. The right arm of the dress would be hanging down since I could not put my arm through it. I was ashamed to go out like that. What would my friends think?

On the other hand, I skipped school, no proper baths and was hand-fed from amma for all meals. It often used to itch, but with the plaster around - nothing could be done. The plaster came off only after a month of tantrums and possible hardships my parents - Amma had to visit one of my school friends and copy all the classwork & homework, so that I wasn't left behind when I rejoined.

But I was finally happy. I could wear my dress, play and even write again. To my little heart it was a great achievement indeed!

Roobaroo

When I started to blog my regular readers were my parents and occasionally my husband. Then I started to get some hits and as I started visiting other blogs, reading, commenting; I started to get a steady readership. Few weeks later I had made friends. Yes friends, who laughed and cried at my parenting blues, friends who stopped by while I was asleep and dropped a kind word that lifted my spirits the next day. Friends who became part of my family. Then of course the mega shower happened that helped build bridges across national boundaries, time zones and continents. It was during this time that I grew closer to DDMom – a woman I have grown to admire, respect and love.

Realizing that we were living so close to each other, we emailed on a possibility of meeting and even setting up play date – with her adorable girls and my brat. We decided on a date, the time, the venue to meet. But it was not meant to be. After weeks of emails & phone calls we decided it was now or never, especially with an impending trip over the horizon.

Quick thinking as she is, DDMom suggested we meet for lunch. So on a warm Thursday afternoon we met at Chipotle (a Mexican restaurant). Munching crisp tacos, we chatted about her final days in the bay area, about our kids (what else) and ourselves. Soon the hour was up & we had to part ways. I had to get back to work, while she had to rush back to Dlittle.

DDMom, I really enjoyed our quickie meeting. It was what I had hoped for (except for my klutz behavior – I misplaced my keys right in my pocket :D) and much much more. I hope you have reached home safely and slowly settling into your new wonderful adventure.

Here’s to your ride!!! Cheers!

YTT

pushed Inspired by Preethi and Homecooked I started to think about adding fodder to the blog while having some fun to. So here I go creating a tag - I present to you the “YTT Tag”

*** Edited: New Tag name, courtesy Ray "Kal, Aaj aur Kal ***

~ The tag copy ~

Two questions in each category answer them and then tag your friends from the blog-o-sphere. (Simple enough right) Leave a comment on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and you are all set.

Yesterday (Kal)
Your oldest memory
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Today (Aaj)
Your first thought today morning
If you built a time capsule today what would it contain?
Tomorrow (Kal)
This year ….
What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now?

~ End Tag details ~

Here's my take at it ...

Yesterday
My oldest memory – My oldest memory is that of when I was probably around a year old when I used to jump around like a frog - don't know why I used to do it, but I recollect doing it while dad used to go to work. I guess it was my way of saying 'bye' :D

What were you doing 10 years ago?- (Ed: lost my earlier comment, in a hurry to hit publish, here's something else from 1998) The awkward first days of college as I tried to make new friends, forming first impressions of teachers who later turned out to be some of the best that I ever came across, the first big crushes from the Poly-Tech guys across from our campus.

Today
Your first thought today morning – Darn it’s Tuesday! It’s going to be a long day, have an evening class to attend from 6.30 thru 9.30 apart from the grinding day at work. Plus the instructor has never been able to finish on time (forget early, he always seems to talk abt the most important stuff past 9.30) :(

If you built a time capsule today what would it contain? - It would contain pictures of family, a strand of black hair (since I am finding a lot more white hairs these days), a snapshot of my blog as it stands today; maybe a little diary with all my thoughts at this moment.

Tomorrow
This year … I shall have completed 8 years of marriage (in Sept). So the 7-year itch is behind us! ;)

What do you see yourself doing 14 years from now? 2022 – Dealing with a teenager... shudders!

There simple enough, please indulge me Ray, HC, Preethi and anyone else. Maybe I will come up with a few more!** hee hee **

To make it to 150 ...

I ask you where are the fodders for your blog, when you really need one? No tags floating in the blog-o-sphere these days, no ‘news’ worthy events that need my two cents! I triple checked my drafts folder & even though there are a few things that I have written, it’s just not perfect yet. I should potentially try Preethi’s route and do a walk down memory lane – but me too lazy at this moment, so here I go, I cheat!

No don't be dis-heartened if you stopped by for a wonderful read [such a pompous a**, am I], I am posing a question for you and would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Answer me this – Is there a direct ratio on women becoming working mothers to their moms who did not or vice-versa for that matter? Just a thought that’s floating around in my mind ...