doodle -do

So, i'm packing and weighing, packing and weighing, packing and...sigh (i also noticed that my weight has increased)

G thinks i'm packing the whole house...grrr...for the record, i'm not!!!

i'm excited and not excited...

excited because i'm going to be meeting my parents, sisters, grandparents, all those lil ones who call me chikki (the hipper version for chikkamma) my friends, the relatives, their relatives, the neighbors, their children, ...Besides this is my annual break, and the kids go as devils and come back angelic, which sustains me for the next 6 months..

not so excited: cos i'm going to miss my home,.... i'm worried what will happen to the house when i'm gone...guys never realise even when they are ankle deep in dust...(you get the picture?)...imagine in six weeks , my house will be a parasatical paradise of spiders, fungi, dust mites, have i missed anything here?

...err..okay, okay ... the real reason is i'm really going to miss G.

He won't be coming with me now, maybe later....i'm so upset that i've left wrong instructions on how to operate the gadgets in the house, esp the washing machine...which means he will have to call me up to make it work...ahh sweet revenge!!!

:)

an update here:: of course i'm exaggerating about the dust...though G's interpretation of dust is slighlty questionable, still he keeps the house reasonably clean...I'm impeccably clean, he's normal...and not to worry about the wrong instructions, nothing serious...but enough to make him miss me!!! (*grin)

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see what i found here - a doodle 4 google contest.

american kids from kindergarten to grade 12 were asked to doodle around the theme 'what if". I found their ideas very innovative. Some used recycling as a theme, some world peace...

i especially loved the kindergarten illustrations, even though they are not exactly doodles ...take a look at these...



this child wrote...I think that the whole world would be happier if they rocked out to the music they love.



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happy doodling and wish me a quiet journey...The last time we flew, my 5 yr-old yelled 'what happens if the plane falls into the clouds"...

Considering he always speaks his mind ....(click if you want to read more),i guess this trip is going to be quite interesting!

It's a lovely day!!!

The eyes are tired, the mind is numb, the senses have taken a beating and nobody understands me!

i'm also drained out, courtesy the stress generated by some late nights.

finishing my mag work...if you must know...!!!

Then of course its very easy to get stressed out, because i've embarked on a very heroic task...shopping for goody bags for my India trip. (i'm so looking forward to it)...did i tell you that i hate too much shopping....? no? well i do!!! esp when you have to get something for everyone and you hope you've not left out anyone. Then of course they have to like it too...

Prats, when asked whether she needed anything, told me "nothing, you just get yourself!!" that's so very sweet of her!!! Btw, many seem to be telling this to me recently, either my taste in gifts suck, or else they all really like me :)

Coming back to the red eyes, i have a cold...quite a bad one...'a sky fallen on the head' kind...the 'nobody understands me when i speak' kind...

aaachooo!!

i can write though...

because between yesterday and now, quite a few "awww' moments have happened...

Yesterday, on his return from school, my 5 yrold narrated the poem of the day, which initially left me perplexed...and then made me laugh. (click on the cloured words if you want to hear more)

His stories over, his lil tummy filled, he then focussed all the sneezes, he looked at me and said "you sleep...i'll do all the work today...don't worry..."

five minutes later, he comes up to me and whispers "you will have to do the cooking though, i don't know that"!!!

He is such a sweetie pie...i wish he'd remain 5, a lil longer...sigh...

of course he then went down to play, and didn't turn up till much later...but his words acted as instant therapy...and it carried me through the evening.

Woke up this morning late and with a heavy head, and found the kids' milk, fruits, cereal all ready on the table (that's what i do usually every morning) and a piping hot cup of ginger tea...courtesy G...i just had to pack the lunch boxes...isn't G a darling?

Walked the kids to their busstop, waved goodbye till i could see the bus no more(i have never missed that)and came home to find my friend 'S' from the next block waiting at my door with some chatpata food...

how did she know? Turns out my lil boy had gone to her house in the evening, during play yesterday, to drink water...and had told her..."i don't want to disturb my mother..she's not well..." awww...

And S is really a gem of a person!!!I've known her for over 8 months, her kids are almost the same age as mine and we get along quite well, having even exchanged the mandatory dabbas of khana...

As i grow older, i see a change in me. I am friendly, yet i find that i don't go out of my way to invest in new friendships. I'm very happy with the ones i have. I don't keep in touch as much as i like to , but the friends i have, we seem to take up from where we leave, always...

Yet slowly but surely, there have been a few who've entered that circle, like 'S'. Even a few in the blogworld too.

Reading preeti's post this morning had me nodding my head vigorously in agreement. She so spoke my mind, and did a very good job of it too...
(the nodding also helped in clearing the mess in my head and my blocked ears)......

and then prats took me on a lil nostalgia trip..with a song from dirty dancing...and some funky songs and classroom drama...instant therapy again...

It feels refreshing to be surrounded by all this goodness...

The day sure is lovely...even though i'm going to spend it sneezing and aiming tissues at the bin all day long!!

Forgive the disorientation in thoughts...sneezing does that to me.

Aaah...aaa...Aaachoo....bless all of you too...

What do I do?

~nm tagged me long, long back on the first five things i do when i get back home!!! You really want to know?

A scene especially when i return from the supermarket, lugging the grocery bag, a backpack, a mobile and my card case. Here in Singapore, i generally HAVE to HAVE an access card to enter my apartment block, my MRT link card to travel by the metro, and of course my debit card...

At my doorstep...

1. Spend 5 minutes hunting in all the pockets for the key...drat!!! where could that key be...? Dump all the grocery bags on the doormat and SEARCH...!!!!!



2. Discover it in the safest place possible...the l'il pocket at the back of the backpack!!!

3. Throw my footwear into the shoe rack, open the door, gather all that stuff lying on the floor and dump the stuff on the dining table.

4. Keep my handbag with the precious MRt card inside the drawer, wash away all taht invisble dirt from my feet and hands, and enter the kitchen to unload all that stuff into its various nooks and corners...(i so miss my gal Friday, back in delhi)

5. ...and then i remember to open the front door to retrieve the keys dangling there....and my cell phone waiting patiently for me on the shoe rack...

This surely is an improvement. There have been two occasions when the key has been left there since the morning and my son pounces on it on his return from school in the evening, and proceeds to give me an ear-ful!!!

(pic...courtesy wikipedia)

This is my sheepish momma look!!!

Seriously, how much can I possibly carry with two hands??


Psst...below is veenz tag...she entrusted me with spreading some love and cheer, which i've done!!! and with this my tag box is empty!!! :D

Adding links to the chain of love

Veenz tagged me with a chain of spreading love... I have alovely circle of blog pals so let me do my bit of spreading cheer.

Once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, add your name and make them grow!

BennyLiew, RamblingMoo, Mum & Kids In Wonderland, Judelittle, Our mini blogsphere, Rooms in My Heart, http://janiceng.blogspot.com/, ChinNee, Jo-N, LadyJava's Lounge, Strange but True, Mariuca's Perfume Gallery,Meet Uncle J-Uncle J, Farah,aNgRiAniWoRLd,How’s Life Bout,The Three Heroes, Ceedy, Veena, Suma...



while i wish love everyone's way, I tag justjen, prats, keshi, romila, sumana, hipgrandma, preethi, koolkat, aarthi, wian

tagging the me-me!!

JLT passed on this tag to me...

Know me better!!!

Last Movie You Saw In A Theater:

Last movie? Jodhaa Akbar!!! Finally something I watched without the children…without G...but ...with my in-laws. (ma-in-law had been wanting to watch and i had heard a lot of the 'abs'solutely fabulous hrithik...) G decided to be the perfect husband and spent an evening with the children, while I brushed up on my Mughal history. Of course, my need to see hrithik was greater than his!! The movie was memorable for two reasons...hrithik was 'abs'olutely droolworthy and my mom-in-law had superb timing…just when the abs scene flashed, she decided to update my knowledge in history...wah!!!

What Book Are You Reading:
Reading Thorn Birds...again...(a visit to the library is due)!!!

Favorite Board Game:
Scrabble. And kaleidoscope…(its actually a puzzle board game and verrrry addictive…)

Favorite Magazine:
everything and nothing in particular…but yes love reading Reader's digest...femina...newsweek...etc

Favorite Smells:
cool rain on scorching earth, the aroma of freshly baked biscuits, the smell of babies, the fragrance of flowers (jasmine)

Favorite Sound:
waves hitting the shore, the sounds of laughter, the word “Amma”, the birds chirping

Worst Feeling In The World:
the feeling of helplessness in situations beyond my control!!!

What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake? ::
OMG!!! Is that the time? Already?!!!!

Favorite Fast Food Place::
those serving Chaat…

Future Child's Name:
I’m going to have another child??? when? :D

Finish This Statement. "If I Had A Lot Of Money I'd...”::
the thing is i'm never going to have a lot of money...both G and i spend too much esp on others...

Do You Drive Fast? ::
I don’t drive :(

Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal?::
No!! not unless G counts as one…

Storms-Cool Or Scary? ::
Super cool when inside, safe and sound

What Was Your First Car?
An 118NE

Favourite drink: ::
Water…and masala tea

Finish This Statement, "If I Had The Time I Would .....” ::
Paint, watch a few movies, learn a few skills!!!

Do You Eat The Stems On Broccoli?::
Yes…yes…and yes!

If You Could Dye Your Hair Any Color, What Would Be Your Choice? :: Auburn


Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In.
Delhi, Pune, Chennai ,Bangalore, Indore, Bhopal, Kolkata, Singapore (i had forgotten to add my current place...thanks to shruthi, it is now rectified)

Favorite Sports To Watch:
Tennis, gymanstics

One Nice Thing About The Person Who Sent This To You:
smart and witty …she’s 'just like that'!!! And you cannot help but just ‘like’ her!!


What's Under Your Bed?
My slippery slippers…


Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?
Definitely!!! With a little more spice and less sugar!!!

Morning Person Or Night Owl?
As long as morning is not before 6’oclock..then yes, a morning person

Over Easy Or Sunny Side Up?
Neither.

Favorite Place To Relax:
During vacation time, my bath room…other sane times, the library and my home

Favorite Pie:
apple

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:
chocolate chip, and hot chocolate fudge sundae...

Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who's Most Likely To Respond First?
Joy…(*u better not let me down)
Prats, gazal, romila - prove me wrong, will you?


and of course i tagged prats, joy, gazal, romila

Precision matters!!!

I looked at her… she looked at me…she came towards me…with a very determined look. I cringed knowing that I would goof up again. Was i sweating? i hoped not...I would smell awful!!!

Was it going to be on the left or the right…left or right…?

She inched towards my left…i inched towards her right…

So intent was I on getting it right,

that I never realised

when she changed directions…

Clash!!! splat!! *$#& …a bruised cheek, an even more bruised ego!!!


What's with these new greetings anyways? These days, a hello seems to require a lot of precision and grace, just to safely connect.

So next time you meet me and decide to give me that cheek to cheek air kiss….i’d go for a back slap anytime…I’m a new fan of high five’s too…or a wide smile...I love smiling, see? :D

Don’t ever be cheeky to me!!!

sigh..okay..okay...I'm kidding...I love enthusiasm...just give me some notice, will you?

lost and found!

Lost: patience, temper, energy, multivitamins and sense of humor
Finders: do return my sense of humor…

There have been days when i find my 10 yr-old extremely frustrating. Absent minded, and secure in his little world, which wakes up only when a few magic words (read sports, runescape, food and books) are sounded.


There are times when he surprises me with little dollops of wisdom too. Like when i was patting my sleeping 5 yrold...feeling guilty about a ticking off which i had given him, the S senior looks at me and says..."you know, if you feel so bad later on you really shouldn't be scolding us" or "you know, u really have a temper mom!!!". The only thing missing are those glasses on his nose, else he reminds me of a stern teacher.

There are days when he is just perfect...sigh!!!

His rebellious attitude, temper, restless nature -he reminds me a lot of someone i know...me!. I remember being so different from my sisters. i would question everything and do just the opposite. To my mom's despair, i loved to jump about, sort of trying to be a pseudo boy till a biological revelation convinced me that i was destined for something better. Little wonder that when someone compliments my mother on her 'well-brought up' daughters, she accepts it gracefully all the while looking pointedly at her middle daughter who is by now looking very busy with nothing.



Anyways, a lot of you have been very perplexed by my silence...joy, rayshma..i wish i had an earth shattering reason but i don't. Let's just say..i'm enjoying the calm after the storm...its been three days since school has started and am i loving this 'i , me, myself' time!!!

Of course i love vacations...but 3 weeks of dancing (to their tunes) , getting our body parts muddy...entertaining 5 children (neighbors kids)and staying up nights to finish my magazine has taken its toll...not to mention breaking up fights, managing tempers, whipping up meal after meal and trying to be creative, smart, interesting and fun - 24x7!!!!

Besides, i was searching for my sense of humor ...:(



You know what , maybe calvin can help me get it back...:)