it's time to lug those suitcases around!

Its been an exciting week, getting ready for our upcoming trip to India. 18 days of vacation in 4, possibly 5 cities and two road trips! I'm getting the laundry done, the fridge emptied and the house clean, even if it's going to be kept locked up for two weeks. All the drama of last-minute cleaning just to experience that pleasure of walking into a neat home when we return!

I'm quite eager to chat up quite a few people when i'm in India...have to keep up with this image me as a chatterbox.


Right now, at home, everyone's tripping over half filled suitcases, muttering 'words which better not be heard' and not one has the sense to keep it to one side..that's living with boys for you!

and the way the hubby's going on removing clothes which i pack, i may end up travelling with just one pair of jeans and a tee shirt.

The hubby's always 'tsk...tsking' on how disorganised he thinks i am! I pack as if i'm travelling to Antarctica (Bangalore comes pretty close to it), i think he packs as if he lives on the beach...

as far as habits go, he and i are quite different!

When i work on my laptop, I generally have my Gmail, facebook, Yahoo, Skype and Word open in various windows. Not that everyone is dying to see me online or that I'm going to miss some very important mail, but then it's a habit. Whenever my son or hubby use my computer they promptly close down a few windows.

I hate it...


The other day, I sat at my computer after the hubby had used it and noticed that there was only Google open.

Muttering under my breath, I yelled " Why do you close my Windows? You know i don't like it"...

He yells back.."because i don't like it open...!!!!!"


My eyes widened and i was thinking of a retort suitably dripping with appropriate sarcasm, when i hear him continue" ...and then all the lizards and insects get in'


Oh!


He was talking about the bedroom windows, which i faithfully open every morning and he equally diligently closes after me!


Reminded me of this post i had written long time back!

See you guys soon and have a jolly good year, while i go open those windows and add more stuff into the suitcases! This trip is sure going to be fun!

off to get an education

For some reason, the days here are just whizzing past.

• There was a long, long Eid + national UAE break, where we saw a bit of Dubai, more specifically the green parks...What a sight for sore eyes.
  
• Finally school started and with it some semblance of a routine, especially in the bedtime! I didn't do a jig but came pretty close to it.
• The kids are having a great time at school. The 12 yrold had a rock concert at school! The younger one had a wild time at the Jumeirah beach park, eating icecream by the beach. Sigh...I wish i was invited to go too.

• I had my own fun too, got caught in a sandstorm, and ended up like sandpaper - quite a 'grit'ty experience too. The next day saw me rewash the laundry (i had forgotten to bring them in) and vacuum my balcony and the chairs. And then my sister in Boston tells me that they had a snowstorm! That's competition for you.
• A friend delivered her baby and it was a beautiful feeling to watch her five day old baby. I had forgotten that they were so tiny and fragile, and so magical.

Between all this we get to do some homework. One evening saw us tackling our opposites.

All was fine till we came to educated.

and I mused aloud: "hmmm...opposite of educated is uneducated, illiterate,...and..'

Him: 'what's uneducated?'

Me: "when you go to school, you learn new stuff and are getting educated...and the uneducated will be ...'

and he interrupts " someone like you, 'cos you don't go to school?"

Hey bhagwan, one image makeover please!!!!

baby talk!

I walk my second boy to school. It is a 10 min walk and I initially welcomed it for the compulsory exercise. I now look forward to it everyday. It is quite unhurried and relaxing. We talk, we look at birds and lazy cats, we sing songs and we argue. We also discuss serious issues like whether God is being burned to a crisp sitting there above the clouds near the sun!

Everyday we say hello to quite a few babies and dogs, both being walked around by their maids.

Just as i finish smiling and cooing at a very responsive baby, my observant son asks me " you like babies?"



Without thinking, i answer:: 'oh yes!'



Then i realise what i have got myself into and brace myself for the next inevitable question. My quick mind has already started framing a suitable response as to why we cannot have a sibling for him,



and the boy says::


"Don't tell me that YOU want ME to turn BACK into a baby?"



Oh!

Questions, questions!

"It's been such a long time?'

"Where have you been? "

"How have you been?"

"Haven't seen you around for a while?"

Feels good to hear that, doesn't it?

To know that you've been missed in the 9 days that you were not here!

I never knew the supermarket people missed me so much!

Oh no!

I'm a bit forgetful.

I remember people's faces but not the name attached to the face. There are few who take extreme delight in calling me, and continuing the conversation animatedly, without introducing themselves, while i'm pressing 'ctrl Find' in my brain to figure out who they could be - meena?, teena? ya madhu!

There have been occasions when i've talked to someone for quite sometime, totally convinced that he/she was someone else!

I forget people's names, especially if i've just met them. There is this parent at my son's school who i very sweetly smile at and talk inane stuff. Yesterday, she asked me for my phone number, just in case she gets late to school, so that i could reassure her son.

Me: My no's __________. and the name is Suma.

She: Of course, i know your name. Besides, I never forget a name .

I think furiously, my name filing system in my head has gone haywire and so I flash my pearly whites at her, hoping she forgets to give me her number.

She: and this ***** is my number

Me: okay, and how do i spell your name? (smart, am I not?)

She looks at me and says slowly: "A.N.U"

Oh!

i feebly say: "not a.n.o.o?"

She laughingly replies: "You forgot my name, didn't you?"

Aiyo!

The first one to say that i deserved this

is so ....right!

So who's been missing me?

"How is Dubai? How are you?" ask many when they spy me online.

The problem with moving to a new country is that whenever someone asks you how you are, you are so tempted to tell them "how you are". The downside is that it may take 15 minutes and then that poor gal may say erm..."i just remembered i gotta go!"

The good so far:

• I like the place we've moved into.
• The kids have their own group down and they play cricket/soccer every evening. The elder one is the star of the group, that's what he so modestly told me. We asked him about his friends, the ones who give him a high five after every goal, and he shrugged his shoulder (that shoulder of his is sometimes the most communicative part). He just knew their names, why would he want to know anything more?"
• why indeed! uncomplicated and simple, that's my boy!
• and the younger one has been given a nickname - Bob! Noone's telling me why.
• The house is just five minutes away from the supermarket, 3 stops away from the nearest mall and a 10 minute walk from school. and it has quite a bit of greenery around. and birds!I like that a lot.
• I found an art center nearby where they have all sorts of shortterm courses...I plan to join whatever's available.

Now the not-so-good.

• I miss the easy accessibility of Singapore.
• I try to take the bus when I can but i dislike the staring that happens when i'm at the busstop.
• Every Saturday night, i think"oh great tomorrow's Sunday" and then it strikes me that Sunday in this place means a working day and then i go 'Oh GREAT!!!!! tomorrow's Sunday! sigh"
• I had three families over for a pre-diwali gettogether and i cooked a huge spread, all the while wishing they were not acquaintances but people i really knew and liked! and to think they were close to nice people. Making new friends is not as easy as it once used to be.
• I think with age, i'm getting to be the opposite of social.
• And my blog! The less said the better. The wordsmith in me has suddenly taken temporary retirement. The only phrases which come to mind regularly are 'eat your food' don't scream' get up, go to sleep' wash your hands' and shhhhh!
• I think i have the Dubai blues!

Let's just call it fiction?

She had walked her son to school, waved brightly to two friends' husbands, walked to the local supermarket and met a lot of friendly people. A wonderful morning!

And then, she glanced at the mirror.

She had done it again, walked all over town wearing her shirt inside out with the label flapping merrily away!

Will you be my friend - 2

Two years back, when we moved to Singapore, I had apprehensions. Mostly about how my elder boy would take to a new school. My own 'first day at a new school' experiences would always flash in my mind and i worried a bit about how easy/difficult would it be for my boy, to make his place in a new environment.

Two years back i had written this:

Now the situation is the same, even though the location differs. I still worried. He had loved his school in Singapore, was quite popular with teachers and students and was on the school sports team. Would he compare, would he able to adjust? what if? what if? what if...?

And then he came back with a smile. He had a helpful boy sitting next to him, the other kids were friendly, he's shown off his socccer skills, sprained his wrist on the field, caught the coach's eye and he likes the place. And I'm proud of him.

Like i always tell him, never underestimate the power of a friendly smile.

We are finally moving into our new home with NO internet access, the 6 yrold has passed his entrance test, and looks like i'm back to breathing normally.

Sometimes i feel i need to worry/brood intensely for something to work out out just the way i want it to. Wish i could apply that logic to my internet access.

If folks in Dubai see a woman with a mop-head with sunglasses perched on it, clutching her laptop, searching for a socket in a mall to plug her laptop in, please say hi and guide her to one. (that's what may happen when i get desperate).

or maybe i'll be de addicted by then!

Catch you soon!

Psst: thank you, all for the lovely comments in my last post. Would have individually replied, if it were not for the fact that i'm actually supposed to be packing my bags, so that i can leave this apartment that we called 'home for a month'. Just to take those suitcases to a place two blocks away to unpack again and mess up a new place that will be home.

Double Psst: Glad to clear the confusion about my blog name...but considering i could have named it "Aiyorama, so much drama', i think the current name is way better!

My aalochane, right here and right now

I sometimes wonder whether people come here thinking this is a food blog. Perhaps they go away disappointed that i cannot even spell my 'aaloo' and 'channa' right. I contemplate changing my blog name but then that means racking my brain for something and right now the heat of Dubai has fried it to an irretrievable state.



So coming back to the blog name, when blogger sat there waiting for me to key in my blog name, all i could think of was 'Aalochane', (aalochanay) which in Kannada means 'thoughts'. And i thought i thought a LOT! Never mind the fact that most of them never got translated into posts.

So, thanks to me, you now know a new Kannada word.

But, right now I'm thinking that


the elder one has started school and went with a smile, considering he had to get up very early (which means by default i had to get up even earlier!), though I'm wasting my whole morning thinking that he's going to get lost in the huge campus.

I hope he remembers he has a nice smile.



my 6 yrold thinks all this moving around means he is never going to school (Yikes!!)


he has an assessment test day after. (*i'm going to faint)


my shipment arrives today (more YIKES!)

we will then move into our house, which means no internet for 3 weeks (yikes raised to the power of infinity!!!!)



Considering i'm guzzling cups of coffee and tea in anticipation of chaos, do be kind to say a hi if you drop by here.

Bringing up mom - 1

Many many years back, there was a wee little boy who made his way into our hearts even before he was born. We first saw him when he was 10 months old,. He was my sister's son and the first baby in our house. He was the most fussy and tempermental baby i had seen but we were his willing slaves and he knew it. We still are, even now that he has grown into a smart handsome 18 yrold and he knows it :).

My sister was an awesome parent. I would always notice how well she handled him and later on his brother. One technique which intrigued me was her counting till 5 . She would ask them to do something. As usual they would take their time getting to it. She would then start counting 1, 2, 3, 4. By the time she reached 5, the job would be done. MAGIC! i did wonder what would happen when she reached 5 and they still ignored her.

The other technique was clearing her throat! Whenever she saw any of her kids doing something they shouldn't, she would clear her throat. This was most useful especially when she had company. It was a discreet way of telling them something. and it worked like magic again!

So when i had my kids, it was but natural that i should try it out.

The counting worked fine, if you ignore the fact that it took half an hour for me to reach 5 from 4. I managed to divide that 1 unit into 50 or more subdivisions. Sometimes for variety they would hear me say 4.1, 4.23, 4.67...sometimes i would go into fractions.

The clearing of the throat was disastrous..I had to have a coughing fit for any one boy to know that i was trying to attract his attention. It is true when they say practice makes us perfect. I'm an expert cougher now.


So now i've devised my own parenting tool. The decibel level, the tone of the voice, the intensity of the glare, mix them up just right. It works well most of the time. Sometimes i overdo the glare bit and my eyes feel like they may pop out. The times it doesn't work, you can find me in the bathroom cooling off.

Now they've grown a bit and the only one who has temper tantrums is me, so life's good!

It has been ages since i've practised my 'hand me down' parenting technique. The last time i tried doing the counting thing for my 6 yrold, the 11 yrold asked me 'so what happens when you reach 5?" You wouldn't want to know what i retorted but it kept him shut!

The other day i was in the kitchen, when G, who was in the study and therefore deaf to the world, hollered: "do you need anything? did you want something?"

I was puzzled by his asking, for this guy needs a megaphone to get his attention.

I screamed back a NO! (i've learnt somewhere that every action deserves an equal reaction)

Then the 6 yrold appeared by my side. 'did you call? we were just playing?'

Now seriously flummoxed, i asked him "no i didn't call you! not unless my thoughts can magicallly reach you. Why did you ask?"

He replied airily " oh, anna sent me to find out why you were coughing"

The dim bulb brightened! I had cleared my throat a few minutes back.

I had finally got everyone's attention! after 11 years of parenting! even G's!

And i wasn't even trying.

Sigh!

**********************************************

Thank you BlogAdda, you made my day :)

spreading sunshine

This is a story of a little boy with his sunny ways,

A little boy i know, six years young and full of life.

Has a smile on his lips and his feet on springs,

Sunshine is most certainly his other name

It was hot that day as it had been for so very long,

He was grumpy in the taxi, a tantrum brewing strong

His mood was black as the sun shone bright by his side.

He declared: "I hate the sun! why is it always on me?

It is too bright, it makes me hot and i cannot see!"

The mother 'who knows everything' said,

"You are our sunshine, I think the sun likes you,

though you can sit on my side if you wish to"

A minute later, a little hand waved out to the sun

'Ofcourse", he said, "that's why the sun always follows me,

Even when i cross the road, or just still

It likes me because i'm a friend, because i must be fun"

The 12 yrold giggled because he knew too much,

The mother nudged him into silence because she knew better

This was a moment for her to savour,

when faith and innocence, her two great friends

Joined hands to make a little heart believe

A little boy made friends with the sun that day

All because he had faith and innocence firm by his side

and let's not forget, a little help from mummy too!

It fits too well!

I have many memories of my son as a child putting his little hyper feet in our shoes and then clomping about.


It was a cute sight to see those tiny feet in the huge shoes.

You think to yourself "look at those tiny feet. there is so much time to go before he can fill them up'


till suddenly a moment arrives

when you realise you don't have your gym shoes with you and you try your son's shoe half-heartedly, expecting it to be small


And it fits perfectly. Even though i have big feet


Soon he may not fit mine anymore. A sweet moment salted with just a dash of wistfulness.



Happy 12th birthday to my ubercool dude who is so like me and yet not so!

Now go fill your dad's shoes.

Mirror talk

Had i mentioned how awesome i was for managing without a full-length mirror for two years?






Now I have not one but two full-length gigantic mirrors to preen before. One in the hallway and one in my bedroom. It is H.U.G.E. For one who managed with one measly square of reflecting surface, this is enormous, so pardon the 'gush' talk. Besides this is temporary accomodation, so I am making the most of it.


It took me a few days to get used to the one in the hallway. It is at one end of a corridor and initially it was a bit of a shock to come sleepy eyed and see a scary looking figure walking towards you, when it was in fact you walking to yourself.


This particular mirror also sees some serious getting in touch with the inner self.

For instance,

A certain 'she who shall not be named' (forgive me, i just watched harry potter 6) sashays to and fro before deciding that the visit to the gym is overdue. Tucking in that stomach is getting to be a pain.



A six yrold is often caught making funny faces to himself and practising something which looks a cross between jumping, flaying arms around and moving different parts of the body in 4 directions. He calls it dancing.



The ubercool serious dude, soon to be 12, has been spotted coaxing those lil curls in front into a spike. and ofcourse a few choice soccer moves are mandatory.



The big guy has also succumbed to the charms of the mirror, there has been a fair amount of looking at side profiles and critical appraisals going on.



We may have just discovered narcissism, our inner selves and the fact that mirrors don't lie.

Do you remember the time when....

A memory comes floating back to me.

Of the 'once upon a time' phase in my life. Of cupping our palms under a tap at school and tilting it just so, the cool water from the tap wetting the parched throat. Of standing in queue at railway stations impatiently waiting for our turn. Filling giant waterbottles for the journey till the next station, apprehensive that the train may leave without us.



And then because all good things must come to an end, bottled water and water filters made their appearance. Water could not be drunk without double boiling it or passing it through the RO process. It was a necessity. Mineral water became a must on everyone's table.

And with it the usage of plastic and waste grew.

This memory got placed in the 'once upon a time' slot in my mind. All it needed was a trigger to get it out. Which happened when I saw this


At Singapore

and this was in Sydney

I used to love it when the boys would cup their hands under the tap and drink greedily. The water fountain required some practice, and it was fun to watch them trying to place the mouth just right, splashing themselves in the process. It was a luxury to not worry about the water being safe or unsafe, to drink water straight from the tap. It was nice to see something as basic as water being easily available to us, thanks to the government.

I'm glad that the boys got to try this simple pleasure even if it was for a short while; because, sadly, we are back to boiled and bottled water.

And this memory will slowly go the way most memories do, back in its slot, waiting for its next trigger.

So, where am I?

24 months back, a family of four moved to Singapore. For a two year period. To give the kids some exposure. For a change. To see how different the cheese is. Ofcourse the husband's job required the move. The rest were just excuses to reinforce the decision.

Even though I've moved cities a lot during my childhood and after marriage, setting up a new home away from India was difficult. It was a new country. Besides, I never realised when i had let those roots grow deep enough to keep me connected to Delhi. It was tough to pack things up, and say goodbye!

But move we did and did a pretty good job of it too! We each found our bits of cheese in places we least expected. I found mine in blogging, something i was not aware of before. And just when we were beginning to sit back, it was time to move again. Oh my has it been 2 years already?

In addition to handling the pang I feel at the thought of moving away from the familiar, people seem to excel in telling me what to expect in the new place. When we moved to Calcutta, people painted a very gloomy picture of the place. It happened to be one of the best places i've lived in. Warm, inviting and addictive! So was our move to Bhopal. Contrary to popular perceptions, it is a lovely laid back city with a close knit community.

and now,

"Doooobai" drawled people in horror. and then went on to praise Singapore. "Look at the transport, the safety, the comfort, the weather; Singapore is the best, it is the best! "

Our house owner looked suitably mortified, and he said "you are going to dooobai. your wife will wear a booorkha?" sigh...

I went to see a 'few months' new son of a neighbor and she was a tough nut to crack. Everytime i said something about the baby, she would brush it aside and inform me about some new horror about dubai. By the time she had finished comparing the transport, the order, the comfort and started on the libraries, (and she has never visited dubai till date) I had reached the end of what ever little patience i never knew i had. I resorted to my diversionary tactic and turned to her baby and gushed "Oh my what an active little boy"

A master move, if it wasn't for that little fact that the darling had wisely fallen asleep a while back.

Sometimes i'm too smart for my own good.

Singapore, to us, was a wonderful two year vacation and we loved every day of it. People want to know how we do it. The moving around, i mean. I guess when you move as much as we do, it helps to avoid comparing. I would never be able to let go, if i did that. It is best to go to the new place with an open mind and most times you are pleasantly surprised.

Every move too has one panic stricken moment when i fast forward and rewind my whole life, and all i see are cartons and suitcases and packaging tape.

So here I am in Dubai. Comfortably settled in a serviced residence while we hunt around for a place to live in. There is a lot to get done.

and the mind overwhelmed with trying to get all the coordinates to meet somewhere, i turn on my laptop, quite eager to enter a world which has remained the same: familiar, inviting and a mood uplifter. and it is almost like i've never moved!

keep those comments coming, folks, they keep me sane.

Mujhe kuch kehna hai...

Just when i had mastered the art of spending in Sing dollars (without converting into indian rupees and gasping), it turns out i have to now think in dirhams.

That's why i'm a bit incommunicado these days, not that any of you are tearing your hair out in worry, but still....

:)


see you soon?

So Singapore!

Among the things learnt at the Singapore Discovery Centre

1) Learning to build an entire city on a small island: trying to figure out where the hospital, community centres, playground etc should be. Understanding that since there is less land space, housing apartments are built upwards, but only till a certain height.

2) Appreciating how Singapore has managed to make its disadvantages work. A nation of many races, having four official languages and still doing fine.

The place is a veritable storehouse of information interactively presented. The kids

tried their hand at being a commando, built cities, did a news report and saw themselves on television.

I liked the corridor of quotable quotes from school children on how they view the future:

A nine year old had this to say: Singaporeans will have get flowers as pets and travel in high tech bubbles that go pop when they arrive

Another one

and of course this would tickle a certain 11 yrold's funny bone!

The tag countdown!

Tag: 1.

Sraikh from Asaaan tagged me to list down 7 awesome things about myself. Ps from Just a mother of two gave me a similar tag "5 things i like about myself". Have you tried keeping two vacationing boys occupied? I'm awesomeness personified right now!

over to the facts:

1) I love the fact that i always surprise someone, including myself. My mom was surprised that her l'il girl- turned -married woman could cook and went away, finally at peace with her mothering skills...this was 5 years after my marriage when she had the chance to spend 10 days with me! Friends are surprised that i write well. Someone met me at my son's birthday party and exclaimed "oh my, you look awesome!' Perfect if only she had toned down the surprise and wonder in her voice!

2) I'm awesome because i must be the only woman who has managed for two years without a full length mirror! We moved into this apartment which was owned by a bachelor. He had one full length mirror made of four squares stuck onto the wall, one below the other. Hidden behind the door. Only a bachelor would think of that! Day two of moving in, one square fell off.
Month 1, another fell down. Now all that remains is one solitary square which reflects my feet. So do pardon me when i preen in the lift. It has two mirrored walls.

3) I like the fact that i can manage my time alone. I can never feel bored! I love to people watch, cloud watch, crystal gaze, build futures and unravel stories in my mind.

4) I like the fact that I'm continuously evolving. I'm not the same person i was, 10 years back and I'm not just talking about the plumper, greyer me. I've thrown away much and can make do with less. I'm better. With scope to be the best in my eyes!

5) I think i would be lost without my rather dry sense of humor. Just to show me how it feels, i get a son who is a replica of me, mannerism wise. I now know what you went through, mom! But then how would you have known mothering is not a breeze? right? Right!

6) I'm awesome because i don't own 10 pairs of shoes or handbags or watches or sunglares. Can someone tell G you can't get luckier than this?

7) I'm awesome because i can disguise sprouts, broccoli and soya in cutlets, pizzas and anything edible and have the kiddos stuff themselves thinking its junk food. Don't worry, this awesome treatment is only reserved for family, not for guests.

tag 2!

Abha from mama mia (thanks shruthi, i've added the link now) had tagged me quite a few months, (make that many many months back) on a domestic disaster. This should have been a piece of cake. I have plenty to choose from: I've burnt many bottles, spilt whole vessels of gravy, forgotten house keys, and done worse things.

There was this time when i was in a rush to go somewhere, got my 2 yr old ready, stepped out and pulled the door shut. And then said 'Uh oh"! Why? because the house key was inside. After much jumping around, i managed to get someone to call a locksmith who fleeced me but did the job. Then the nosy neighbor arches her eyebrows and asks me: "How did you manage to lock yourself out?"

No! i didn't bang the door shut just to show her, that would have been foolish.

i looked around at all the faces staring at me and zeroed in on the 2 yr old..."he did it!" Everyone patted him and laughed, saying "kids, what a naughty l'il boy!" and all was well in my world again!

Now, who wants to be tagged?

The first 5 who comment?

Please?

Pleading comes easy, especially when we are into week 3 of THE VACATIONS!

The walk

In her comment on my last post on commenting, JLT said "post maadi, jaldi!". I love the wonderful mix of three languages.

Why have I not blogged?

I'm being stalked by a lizard. The lizard must have been a snubbed romeo in previous birth, persistent as it is in popping up only when I'm in the kitchen. I'm quite tired of gingerly peeping into my dustbin before throwing any rubbish, or sifting through my laundry to avoid washing a lizard. And yes, the post of lizard chaser is currently vacant. My knight has returned his sword..err...broom.

This was not a reason for not blogging but irritating enough for me to include it here.

Vacations are on, the boys' days begin at 10, sometimes 11 (GASP!) in the morning and end forcibly at 12 midnight. I have no clue which day of the week it currently is. I do know that these kids of mine are having an awesome vacation, even though they think it could have been better!

Sometimes we go exploring. That's a fancier name for walking, in my son's unasked for opinion. One Sunday found us at the Mac Ritchie reservoir. Beautiful place, complete with water, dense foliage, tall trees, a monkey and humid, humid weather. There is a treetop walk (a walkway,250m, constructed over the natural canopy of trees) which we could not attempt because we reached a bit late. It closes at 5 pm. and we landed there half an hour before.
After much pointing fingers at each other for the delay we proceeded to walk on the 2.5km Prunus trail, a boardwalk which hugs the reservoir bank.

RUN! here comes the 'papa'razzi!

sigh...what drama!

G, of course, seemed more keen on freezing the beauty within his camera than earnest walking. Photography is his ongoing hobby. He is quite good at it, considering that he manages to make me look very presentable, which is a decent parameter to measure his skills by. On this walk, the boys as usual were keen on showing their backs, so i was the only convenient fixture he got.

It was "walking a few steps, stop, get photographed, take two steps to the right because he needs that tree, now continue" walk all the way, with him indulging his creative eye, completely! It sure is more difficult to be with a wannabe photographer than to be with a wanna be writer.

See the reflection? :)

All in all, we walked quite a bit, and I realised that nature walks and 11 yr olds don't go together, not if you are strong enough to take intermittent doses of gyan, given regularly, from the 11yrold.

Sample one such gyan : "I have a great idea. Take all the pics you want and photo shop us on everyone of the pictures, easy!"

Gyan 2: "good, i saw the trees, i saw the water, can we go now?"

Just to say that we have not yet learnt our lesson, we are coming back to walk the tree top ropeway soon!

cramping my style

Ever heard of the commenter's cramp? No?

Well, you've heard it now. I have it. Don't google it, though.


It starts with the pressure of writing a witty, sensible comment. Then it escalates with the overusage of nice, great and awesome, peppered with smileys all over. It sometimes culminates in a non comment.


I read many blogs, some because i know the person, a few because i love their writing and many because they make me aware. I generally follow a principle of trying to see the post from another's perspective. Commenting seems to be a tricky art to master. There is the pressure to be politically correct while commenting. If you want to disagree with the views expressed then you have to figure out the right way to do it gently without hurting anyone's feelings. It never used to bother me before but it does now.



If the post has touched me in some way or made me smile, like they usually do, then i have a problem expressing the level of excitement/sorrow, differently each time. I avoid using Lol, LMAO ROFTL, (the latter sounds like i'm barking). And if i do try to leave the blog without commenting, the feedjit indicator beckons me like a stern taskmaster getting an errant kid to do the job right. bah!



The commenter's cramp seems more difficult to overcome than my blogger's block. More so since i get such perfect comments from you all. That felt good! Nothing like shifting the pressure on someone else! So when i comment and its not up to your mark, you know the reason. If it continues, i better compile a blogger's dictionary and at least impress you with more adjectives like stupendous, marvellous, fantabulous, etc.

While this has cramped my style, my elder boy is going through a 'no snaps pls, i'm serious' phase. The younger one is torn between his wanting to pose and his desire to follow big bro. So, sometimes we have blurs and backs masquerading as our sons and sometimes we have this.

saying no to the 'papa'razzi !

Someone should warn G (the hubby) that if this boy is anything like me, then G better take it easy with his camera. The 'papa' could soon have a close up of his own nose or ear adorning his cell-phone.

Letting go...

The past 20 days have been very busy...My almost 13 yr old nephew, came a-visiting from Bangalore. All alone. He was treated like a prince (his words) by the Singapore Airlines staff who also upgraded him to a first class - you can imagine what his face book messages would have been like the next day!

So the boys had fun with their cousin, I've lost some hair and the neighbours are confused as to how many children I actually have!

We must have overdosed on the fun bit, because my 11 yr old caught a nasty throat infection and fever a day before the week-end began.

He got well soon and was understandably irritated at the enforced rest. I wondered aloud whether to give him an extra day of rest on Monday!

Me: "You need not go to school if you are feeling weak"

Him: "Okay' and a shrug

two seconds later,

Him: 'but I'm going to miss a lot, you know, I already missed school on Friday!"

Me: "It's just two days, I'll help you make up"

Him: "Okay!" and a shrug. (psst...can you tell that he LOVES talking?!!!!)

a minute later,

Him: "the teachers don't give us notes you know, you are supposed to listen to them in class"

I looked at him and smiled

Me: " And of course your friends would miss you too"

He smiled back, knowing that i had caught him out.

This morning he was fast asleep, and i thought I'll let him sleep in...I woke up the 6 yr old and pottered (love the mental image conjured here) around the kitchen...I turned to see my 11 yr old standing near me waiting for breakfast and i rushed to see which side the sun is rising from, because this boy never gets up on his own unless there is a cricket match/soccer match that day!

A sad Me: 'You want to go'

An emphatic Him: "Yes!" (absolutely takes after his father in the monosyllabic department)

And so I let him go, even though I wanted him to stay!

The 6 yr old gets his temperature taken, just as a precaution...(since the swine flu scare, the government had made it compulsory for every kid to carry a digital thermometer everyday)

Him: ' how much, amma?'

Me: '98'

Him: 'Celsius or fah..fabr...?

Me; '98 Fahrenheit'

Him: 'That means I need 2 more for hundred?!"

Me (deep sigh): "Yes! But since you are well enough, can you look after Anna and make sure that he does not go for his PE class?"

He happily confirms: 'Only PE?' and bounds off!

And I let him go too, even though he wanted to stay!

Can you tell, that I'm not ready for this letting go business?

cutting the rat's tail...

Got you with that title... didn't I?

You know it's time to take some serious action when you find yourself unconsciously plaiting your hair because it's getting too long...bringing to mind a gawky school goer with two plaits in an identity crisis - aiming to be rat tails or pig tails?


So the impulsive me, entered a salon and surrendered my hair to the whims of a scissor happy, non English speaking stylist, who has now successfully converted the pig tail into a mop head.

To add fuel to my ire, the hubby looks at me, after a whole day, and says "Yikes what have you done to your hair?"

I still haven't decided what has upset me more - his noticing after a day, or his comment...!

Mega sized BAWL!!!!

Now please be nice and make me feel better?

Terimah kasi! (that's thank you in malay!)

added as an afterthought: the rat's tail is now in its new avatar - the mini pony tail...

The urban giraffe

Heard in the playarea, an exclamation ; "Look, giraffes!!!!"

The kids present there, came rushing to see...Giraffes in the condo?

Soon came the loud protests from the kid brigade : "Those are not giraffes, those are cranes!"

She insisted, "But they look like giraffes, see that's the long neck and that's the face...."

Five minutes later she continued her walk, leaving a few excited kids admiring the 'giraffes' with the colored faces!

Whatever happened to imagination?

click, click! The mother in me !

Wonderful mom! that's what someone called me recently...and i thought to myself "not really, G is frankly a better parent than me!" Though it helps that he doesn't have to multitask and think about nutrition and silly stuff like hygiene and discipline and laundry and too much computer time and ...(i'm running out of speed here)! Always nice to give credit where its due..that's how nice i am!



Having got the guilt out of the way, lets focus on the tag by Monika and Gauri on the 5 joys of being a mother...

here go my spontaneous five,

• Nothing is as beautiful as the moment when you realize you’ve given birth to a pulsating life. I'm incredibly proud of that...and the fact that noone can ever change it! I loved my babies when they were tiny...I loved the way they looked, their smell, and the fact that i was their whole world, even if it was in the role of a milk vendor...and I learnt from them, from the way they learnt to roll over, to crawl, to sit, to walk, and to talk, always picking up something new.

• I love how my 6 yrold still needs me ...his hugs and his snuggles, his innocent questions and his nature. I love the way my 11 yrold laughs and his witty remarks. His writing and his gruff way of showing affection...i love this stage because its fleeting by and i treasure these moments...

• I've been seeing the world through their eyes for a long time now and i love what i see. I'm constantly evolving as a person around them...

• I love the evenings when they return from school...they both have SO MUCH to tell me ...and life is so full of bounce when they are at home.

• I love the fact that i know how to bring a smile to their faces even if i was the one who made them cry/angry and I love that their hugs can make my bad day seem perfect!

I could go on and on, but then the tag must go on :)

tagging other lovely moms : madhumita (UAE) , prats (India), ps (Norwich), Joy (USA) and Sumana (India)

Rules:

Just write a post of your own (5 things that you love about being a mom/dad) and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country (Google is a good resource if you don't know any; google any country name and 'mom/dad' in their blog search function) (be sure to let them know that you've tagged them!) - and link back here and HBM and leave a comment.

First impressions

You know what they say about first impressions? They say that's what imprints you in someone's mind, the first time you meet them?

The first impression is almost like your entire personality compressed into a five minute shot and you risk being stamped with a wrong label. I find that so unfair, because you find yourself carrying that weight for a long time.

And then i came across this at Antique mommy's.

It is a long video but do watch a brave 47 yr old contestent changing that first impression, unfazed by the laughter which greeted her. (click on the blue words to watch the video)

Sometimes, it pays to give someone a chance.

For those who missed the previous post, do watch this too...and keep those tissues handy...

A few side-effects...

Of Blogging!

Walking by the park and seeing an utterly delicious looking dad with a camera and clicking away pictures of his cute lil toddler from every corner of the playground, and the first thought which comes to mind is "Must be a daddy blogger!!!!"


Wanting to be caustic to the boys, but garnering admirable patience and coaxing the mouth to utter a friendly warning...'cos that's what responsible mothers do, even though my teeth have whittled away with all that gritting.


Realising that since blogging, spoken english has risen several notches on the "sound good ' scale and dipped alarmingly on the "understandability' scale, especially when spoken to the boys. From now, a simple "get your behind on the chair and finish your work" hollered in just the right tone will suffice instead of "you must try ..yadayadayada..." The first sign came many months back when the then 10 yrold and his father just gaped at me, after listening to a long passioned speech on self motivation!


Listening for the nth time, a neighbor's advice on how to feed my boys, and thinking, she must be a troll in her virtual avatar!


Looking at my blog and thinking it needs a makeover...again and scouting for new pictures even if the readers don't notice. (*this is the point where you are allowed to roll your eyes!)

Trying hard to ignore Google Reader which indicates that you have x no of blogs to be read, losing the battle and then subscribing to more blogs...


Being able to connect with others on the same virtual wavelength and actually have a wonderful time...


Being able to instantly share a touching video...(it's been making waves here in Singapore). Do watch it, and keep a tissue or handkerchief nearby


Find the beauty in your moments, even the imperfect ones and enjoy yourself, you never know how long it will last!

On that profound note, i do wish you a great weekend!

HOWZAT!!!!

The first day of school went off smoothly...new textbooks, new notebooks, new timetables...everything seems exciting and interesting, and its worth waiting till evening just to hear about who sat with whom and how many new children were there this time...

So the evening saw each child sharing some tidbit, the 11 yrold has a cricket tournament coming up where he is playing in 6 matches and of course very thrilled about it...while i see myself the only candidate for grabbing the hat of the cricket mum, soccer mum and keeping 6 yrold occupied well enough mum during the next 10 days. I'm also currently feeling very pleased with myself for having got through 2 weeks of holidays in one piece and more importantly having had fun all the way.

and then the 11 yrold says: 'amma, the princi is our english teacher'

me(pleasantly surprised) : 'Really? that's good news, she's an excellent english teacher"

11 yrold(contemplative): 'you know, she reminds me of you'

me(considerably elated and resembling a balloon, so puffed up with pride was I) trying to be nonchalant: "Why?"

11yrold : 'I can't read her handwriting on the board'

Tooooosh, that was the fastest a balloon ever deflated into oblivion!

And as you can see, the 11 yrold is good in delivering a yorker! (or whatever you call it)

when a wish came true!

When school starts after a two week break, it's going to be tough and exciting. Tough because the free spirit has to be caged into a routine, esp after all the unrestricted fun of the past days and exciting because it is after all a new year in school among familiar faces and different teachers.

We've had plenty to do the past 15 days, with libraries, waterparks, and the science centre being our favorite haunts, not to mention overdosing on high energy food. I really enjoy these days when there is no need to adhere to a set timetable and when we take the day as it comes. So it did not come as a surprise when the 6 yrold wished he could have extra holidays. :)

Still we thought we had prepared pretty well for the new term. Polished shoes, ironed uniforms and a packed school bag were set in its proper places, giving the first day of school its rightful importance; even though we all knew that the remaining weeks would be spent in the last minute flurry of packing school bags, and hunting for the right pair of socks at the last minute...



Monday morning dawned a bit too early and it was back to the routine of waking up with the birds and trying to coordinate your limbs which seemed to be having a mind of their own.





Lunchboxes packed, waterbottles filled and prayers said, we were ready and waiting for the bus, which never arrived.





Fifteen minutes later, we were still waiting...and i mentally prepared myself to drop them to school!





Finally i called the bus driver in irritation...and got a puzzled reply 'But school reopens on April 7th!!!'





A call to a friend confirmed the same...





Sheepish looks all round, a burst of laughter, a moan from the 11 yrold for having given up his precious sleep for nothing and a yell of delight from the 6 yrold who was quite thrilled that his wish came true!

Ok so i had forgotten the actual date, but really it's not my fault! Whoever reopens school on a Tuesday, anyway?

'Break'in news!

I've had a dreamy week, that is, a week where i seem to have dreamt most of my quota of dreams! Dreams where the main players are mostly my kids and sometimes the hubby, just saying. (sheesh! i think i dig myself deeper everytime i try to explain *wry grin)

I get up in the very wee hours of the mornings thinking to myself that THIS would make a wonderful story/book/movie and then i fall asleep again. Needless to say when i finally arise, the dream remains just that! nothing but a vague dream! Because i just cannot remember what it was about the dream that was so interesting!

Most of the time, i've a sneaking suspicion that the kids see me as a giant mobile phone (why mobile phone? beats me! ) where they press various buttons to make me do a certain thing.

For example, press one to make amma dance...to their tunes. Press two to cook favorite food, press three to start a slanging match...press four to make her tear her hair out..., press five to test the karate kick..., press six to play 'bored' games..., press 7 to whine and whine till she gives in..., press 8 to put her on mute!

Can you tell that vacations are on?!!!!

A two week break for those wonderful teachers to catch their breath and for us parents to lose ours! I'm right now an 'always on demand' mom!

I bet they are having fun!

Forget-me-not (2)

The end of a week and the beginning of a lazy day. A piping hot cup of masala chai and the settling down to read a few blogs, in peace hopefully. A sip and a thoooooo...a grimace and a sigh...

It was plain ginger flavored watery milk! I had forgotten the tea leaves..Again!

I sneak a look at the hubby. He is still sipping the warm drink, probably thinking that its another one of those concoctions i churn out once in a while, disguised under the mantle of health drink.

And when i read this, ( a post i wrote long back), i realise not much has changed.

Reminded me of the recent time i had left my handbag in the train in Sydney. I got down and had walked out of the station when suddenly i felt different. I felt very light (not lightheaded, but light as in the opposite of heavy). That's when i realised that i had left my handbag in the carriage. That handbag is what gives me the perfect balance, stuffed as it is with everything I may need! So, we rushed back, the 11 yr old enjoying this reversal of roles and proceeding to air a few mean sound bytes. The official made all the appropriate sounds before finally telling us to wait for 15 minutes, we were lucky that the train had terminated at that station and it would make its way back at the same platform. And that's how i got my bag back..

and of course just because the hubby was extremely mean to me that time, he forgot his wallet and card holder at the security check at the Perth airport, the boarding tickets at a check in counter in Melbourne. and i made a few loudly appropriate noises too.

Every time i leave home, i invariably do a few patting exercises...pat my pocket to check if my train/bus card is there, another pocket if my mobile's safe... my handbag to see if the money's there...my ears to see if I'm wearing BOTH my earrings...someone watching would be forgiven for thinking that I'm practising the latest dance moves!

So a few days back, kid senior came back from school, and sheepishly informed me that he had bought lunch at school...He had forgotten that i had made lunch for him (burgers with homemade veg patties, that too waking up at 6 am, people!) even though he had put it in his bag himself, with his own not so little hands!

'Where did you get the money from?' i asked.

Scratched his head and said "I don't know, it was there" giving the impression that it was a miracle! Turns out that the miracle occurred when two friends returned the cents they had borrowed on different occasions.

What do i say?

Lage raho?

(PS.Abha, don't make me stand in a corner, I've not YET forgotten your tag, just a few crucial details! :)

Small talk!

11 yrold : "Can i check the Arsenal website on your laptop'

Me(doing some small talk) : 'Fine....why? Is there an important arsenal match?

He nods and then a minute later, he adds : 'BTW, its 'ARE'senal not 'ARSE'nal!"

Thud, (*that was my jaw hitting the floor! anothe word joins my "think before you talk' vocab))

I enter the room to see a dedicated 6 yrold busy with his handwriting homework. Diligently drawing the T's, l's and b's with his trusted ruler.

Me (because i just can't keep my mouth shut): why do you need a ruler?!!!!

Rolling his eyes : "Beeeecause, my teacher wants NEAT handwriting!"

I give up!

In other news, I've been given the new nokia 5800, recently. And my son's drooling over it. It has a touch screen and i quite dislike seeing thumbprints all over my screen. (*cue for rolling eyes! that's what happens at home everytime i say that).

I'm still treating it like its a grenade, but other than that, it's pretty good.

So today while showing me some feature, 11 yrold enviously muttered "You are soo lucky! i wonder what you did to get it" (in other words, why i deserved it?)

sigh! Perhaps I should say "Sit down boy, this could take the whole day"!!!!

PS...his is an innocent question, but of course you, my imaginative readers, can interpret it in any way you want...:D

Q and A!

If you were that lizard/spider on my wall, chances are you would have heard these gems from my pre-teen...

Amma, i can't kneel down, my patella hurts!

My eye is red, it itches too, i think i have hindivitis! (after 30 minutes of studying Hindi)

It's that time of the month yet again. Time for glares, suspicious headaches, frequent parched throats and wrist pain. The too informed preteen helpfully tells me that he suffers from the carpal tunnel syndrome!!!! or that his pivot joints hurt.

Yes, the final assessments are upon us! and my cerebrum hurts too!

Since i'm so in the exam mood, I might as well do abha's tag.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
no.... just after myself!

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
you mean...the tears of frustration? sigh..yesterday

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
When i manage to read it, yes..(*am I glad that the question wasn't "can you read your handwriting?")

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
what's that?

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Hmmmm, what if i don't want to be friends with this other person i'm supposed to be...

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
i practice it on the hubby now and then, but kuch asar hi nahi hota!

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?

Yes, i think so

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Not unless someone pushes me off the bridge! *gulp

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL
Meusli cereal

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No

12. IF YOU WERE TO PICK YOU OWN FIRST NAME, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I like my name, It is short and sweet...though many seem to think its an abbreviated form of a longer name. You really can't please everyone, can you?

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
not very fond of icecream, but perhaps, vanilla with hot chocolate sauce,

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
the warmth of their Smile,

15. RED OR PINK?
just because everyone's saying red! i say pink in roses and nailpaint

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF
high on temper and low on patience...

17. WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
everyone at some point of time..it could be kids, my granpa, my parents, my sisters...

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
they better, varna ___________

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
blue jeans

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
pitter patter of raindrops

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
green? blue? sigh... multicolored...my son has those crayons...:)

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
wet mud, shampooed hair, perfume

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
a friend

25. HOW DO YOU KNOW THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU
as the owner of a warm smile and the mother of the cuddable 'cubby'r. A virtual hug to you, abha.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
when not being forced to watch soccer or cricket, then tennis.

27. HAIR COLOR?
brown? black? grey!

28. EYE COLOR?
light Brown. (*sigh...only 28 questions answered, now i know how my son feels...)

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

No.

30. FAVORITE FOODS?
chocolate cake, quesadillas, grilled sandwiches, Chaat...slurp

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
comedies.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Wednesday...that too on DVD, sigh

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
a red tee.

34.SUMMER OR WINTER
I'm spoilt...can i have a bit of both?

35. HUGS OR KISSES
warm smiles, keep them coming

36. DESCRIBE YOUR PENCIL CUP
if you mean those things in which i hoard my pens, a small carved pot, and funny mugs

38. FAVORITE ARTIST(s)?

a whole range of them

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
plodding through "snow by orhan pamuk", and also reading "Jigs and reels' by Joanne Harris

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Gotcha! I don't have one

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?

Quarter part of the movie, "Namaste London'

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
currently, the whirr of the fan, the creaking chair, the click clack of the keys on the keyboard, the water fall in the pool below, the bus from far beyond, the rattle of the mrt train nearby...its amazing how many things you hear when you are alone...after the lungpower displayed during the weekend, i love this quiet time....

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

A R Rahman!

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

Home is where the heart! Physically? Sydney

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

Of a wandering mind, which lands me in trouble when someone's talking to me...

46. WHERE WERE U BORN?

Bangalore.

47. FAVORITE PIECE OF JEWELRY?

earrings to dangle and a bracelet for a bangle

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?

At my sister's wedding!

49. FAVORITE SONG?

so many of them... one for each mood...

50.Favorite Musical?

My fair lady and Mamma Mia, the movie

____________________________________

yay! I've done it! Now for the great reward...

The first five to comment, you are tagged...(*okay, okay...only if you want to)

:D

The sneak who crept in

This weekend we had a visitor. An unwelcome one too.

Hiding behind the drapes, the creepy sneak or should i say the sneaky creep?

What do I do?

(I'm well known for not moving a muscle when it comes to those tiny things but with the power to freeze me on the spot. Lizards, flying cockroaches, mice... I'm petrified of them. I'm known to have screeched in terror mistakenly thinking that the hair which fell on my neck suddenly, was a mouse's tail.

I've spent 3 hours staring at the progress of a lizard on the ceiling and afraid to close my eyes because I was afraid that it may decide to fall into my gaping mouth..Ewwww...When the visions started getting more hideous, I had to get up and finally wake up my father (i was on a holiday in Bangalore) who chased it away.

Sigh! Fathers are the BEST! )

So this time, I had to call the only knight available, who used a broom as his sword. G is great at driving away pests. Most of them. I'm not going anywhere though.

So after much drama in the room with two kids being told to look at the lizard and not me, they managed to chase the creepy visitor out.

Me? i was as far away from the scene as possible.

Yesterday, when i entered the kitchen, what do i see? Another lizard right in the middle. Blinking at me. Perhaps wondering where its cousin had gone to?

What did i do? G wouldn't get up, so much for the knight halo. So I bravely tried to chase it away with much tapping and dancing, and it, perhaps bored with all the early morning drama, went straight into the laundry room.

We now look forward to a week of unwashed clothes, because no way am i entering that room now. Come to think of it, perhaps the smell of unwashed socks will make the thing slither out...*brightens

And then the six yr-old consoled me saying that when he gets a bat as a pet, he'll make sure that the bat keeps the lizards away!

bats? pet? WhatWhenEeksdeepbreathNOway!!!!!

Now I'm sure something scares you. Make me feel better, and tell me?

Puzzling effects...

What's this?

It is a picture of two adorable kittens with a yarn of wool. It is also a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle being puzzled over by a six yr-old and his mother...

Yes! We are very smart, thank you very much! Much to the amazement of the resident snorter who thought we couldn't do it...(*i think he was just jealous)

Little S has always been fascinated by puzzles since he was almost 2 years old. He's spent many a rainy day with Kaleidoscope, the puzzle made up of colored little squares, which i love too. But jigsaws are his favorite. It's addictive and a great stress buster. Solving it teaches one about perspectives, about tenacity and is good exercise for the mind. This was the first time, though, that he tried his hand at a 1000 piece puzzle.

It is a fascinating thing to sit down with these odd shaped pieces and coax them into forming the complete picture. At first they are just meaningless shapes, and it's difficult to make sense of the mayhem. But we figured it out, me and my little helper. We started with the border, because the border pieces have one flat edge, thereby making it easier for us to start. It was not very easy because the fur looked almost the same. Sometimes, I would hold the piece the wrong way, and then lil S would slap his forehead and put it…right there where it belonged.

Every time S returned from school, he would wash up and bounce into the room, first to check how much i got done without him and then to try and beat me at it...

Sometimes it just wouldn't move forward. And then miraculously, when we tackled it after some time or the next day, we seemed to instantly find that missing piece. And everything would fall into place for a while. So much like life, isn't it?

Little by little, piece by piece, we finished it. And the look of satisfaction on his face when he fitted in that last piece was worth recording. He didn't know I had completed it hours before but had messed it up a bit, just so that he could have the satisfaction of finishing his very own "big people' puzzle.

And as usual because i just can't help it, i think of associations.

Of Scrabble boards. Of incredibly lazy evenings, of worry free minds and easy laughter, of a family bonding over a scrabble game, which my sister would invariably win.

I hope that my kids too would weave happy associations around certain things. I'm sure they could never look at a football without thinking of G, of all those evenings spent kicking the dratted ball or watching the games together. Maybe the 11 yrold would look at books and remember the books devoured together by him and me?

And perhaps, jigsaw puzzles would do the same for my 6 yrold. Sometimes, i look beyond and see a young man buying a puzzle for his child, and telling him "See this? i used to do that with my mom". sigh!

*a happy Sigh!

There you go again, my wistful heart...why peer into a whimsical future when you have such a beautiful present....?

So tell me, since i'm a curious cat sometimes....are there certain things which bring back an instant happy recollection for you?

A sigh of the times

Sigh....A weird state of mind to be in.

I had so many things to be written and the next morning, my mind couldn't trace it. I would like to call it 'blogger's amnesia' - sounds more mature than plain growing old...

To add to the vanishing act, my yahoo inbox myteriously emptied itself .

So then i do the next best thing...

I heave a deep sigh...

I look at food blogs and sigh at the great photography....

I look at my Google reader and wonder why noone is posting faster than i can read!

Then i look at my blog and sigh " -------" very deeply...

never mind me, folks, i'm just smsing...sorry pmsing...

sigh....can't even get my words right... must still be the shock of turning 37...

I also believe that my sister's 4 yrold twins are practising for my 40th b'day video! Cute as they are, I wish someone would tell them that 3 years is a long time, right? Right!

Gong Xi Fa Cai !!!

We've been seeing red, the past few weeks ! ! Everywhere you go, there are beautiful red lanterns dancing in the wind and red banners put up. It's the Chinese New Year and our apartment complex and most of Singapore, has been bathed in red, the lucky color for the chinese.

symbolic firecrackers hung outside our apartment lobby....to scare away Nian, a beast who comes out of hiding, once every year on Chinese new year to attack people, especially children. The Nian is sensitive to loud noises and afraid of the color red. I could send my children to every house for the decibel factor but then the locals already have the LION dance. Two people dressed as the lion perform the dance in each house, ushering in prosperity for that year and scaring away the evil. The dance is a treat to watch for the energy the dancers display. People hang a fruit with a red envelope containing money, and the lion is supposed to display its acrobatic skill in reaching the money and spitting out the fruit/lettuce.

These mandarin oranges, a symbol of prosperity, have been placed outside each apartment block lobby.

So as they say here, wishing you guys, Gong Xi Fa Cai, or Happy New Year and as its literal translation says, "wish you enlarge your wealth" !

people waiting in China town to usher in their new year...and its the year of the ox, this time.

And just so that you don't miss out, i give you a red back ground and pictures....how nice can i be, right?

republic day!

We are supposedly celebrating democratic India! may we realise the meaning in its true sense.

Look what we found here...

For those who don't take care of your butts, read on



Found by one delighted 11 yrold on a bus stop in Sydney

Wassup, mate!

I'm speechless! I have to be because them vocal cords have finally rebelled and decided to enlighten me as to the weird sounds i am capable of making. I can now do hoarse, guttural, squawk and possibly a mean rani mukherjee voice. Elder son never had it so good, considering its exam time. Of course i can do THE glare but the person has to be seeing you to get scorched by it....

sigh....

and my family will never win at dumb charades!

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So we welcomed the new year at the Sydney harbor bridge watching the fireworks, never mind being squished by a hundred, no make that million, other like-minded people. That reminded me why we rarely get out of our cozy home on new year's eve. But the euphoria of screaming out happy new year and the firework display was worth being squished for!!

It was a holiday well spent at Melbourne and Sydney,where each one got to do his thing. We did a LOT of walking, petting (the animals), jaw dropping (at the beautiful scenery and clear waters) and kicked balls (er..lets make that football) on the soft sand. We even visited the MCG...

At a petting zoo in Melbourne, where we fed and touched koalas, turtles, emus, wallabies.

An emu says "hi, wanna get spooked?"

One excited male, doing what he does best, preening for the ladies


Father and son completed an exhilarating climb upto the top of the Sydney harbor bridge ...f you look closely, the spots in blue on the arch near the flag are the climbers....

while mother and son (the bridge climb was for 10yrs and above - I qualified but the 6 yrold didn't ) walked across the bridge, looking down into the waters below, taking in the views from the lookout tower and going camera crazy.


Having got back home after 12 days, it seems like its been a long time and everyone's all geared up to get back to the comforting chaos of our daily life.

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Since being speechless is the mood of the moment, this seems like a right time to react to this....WIAN from Random thoughts and Preethi from Incessant musings believe i am friendship-material...all i can say is that they are intelligent women with good taste...:).

And here's a virtual hug to you both....for the award...and the sentiments attached to it.

[This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.]

Thanks to them, i now know a new word - self-aggrandizement.

And i pass it on to all those kind people who read here regularly...I meant the award, not the word...