Where it all begins.....

Where it all begins….

This is dedicated to all the girls born in the 70s, 80s or even 90s and had a set of grand parents in a smaller town/village that you visited during summer holidays. And if their home was surrounded with grooves of mango trees, abundant greenery, the lingering smell of neem trees, plenty of sunlight and a group of girls, you will know what I’m talking about J Even otherwise, you can relate to this post J

Those were the summer holidays when we literally did nothing except sleeping well, eating well and playing till the sun set. Even a simple dish made by my grand mother filled up the whole room with aroma. And everyday there would be a fresh string of flowers to adorn our plaits and most of the time it will be from our own garden. Those terrace floors full of sheets of pappads drying in the sun must have been a great aerial sight. The sun dried pappads would then travel through the country to all those uncles and aunts and would last them till next summer. Ho, and the honorable (?) job of taking care of the pappads from those hungry crows always was bestowed upon us kids. And what fun it was? Sometimes, the entire family would get dressed in minutes to go and catch an afternoon movie. I don’t remember the movies but I can’t forget all the hungama  around getting dressed up, packing snacks, filling up the water bottle and catching an auto. It was fun. The Friday evening temple visits, listening to my grand parent’s stories that began with ‘in those days’ and the lack of television all made it better.

The best part of my summer holidays were when I and my aunt (she was like a big sister to me) would join other girls who were there for holidays. We would have our own kitchen in the garden. And it wasn’t entirely a make believe kitchen because we actually made rasam, payasam, pongal, rice etc. in those small earthen pots. And believe me it turned out absolutely tasty. And the onus of stealing rice, dal, jaggery, tamarind etc. from my grand mother’s kitchen was always on me. The reason being even if I got caught, since I was small and my grand mother’s pet :D, I could get away easily. The toy kitchenware was amazing. They were earthen, wooden, steel and plastic mostly. The more variety you had, the more popular you were in your group :D. We were all passionate about cooking. Though being small, I had to only do those cleaning and cutting jobs but it somehow seemed very important then. And that I believe is when the interest for cooking was sown inside all the young girls. I love cooking today and trying out new things. Even though I don’t guarantee the outcome every time :D

Why this nostalgic post? The memories were dusted and brought to front because of a gourmet kitchen set that we bought for Adhya recently. It is pink and girly. It is very beautiful with all those modern equipments. And she literally loves it. I’m not going to compare the two kitchens here because I believe that both are awesome in their own way. They fulfill the job of making a little girl happy and make her believe that she is a chef, and that’s all that matters. J

But as I watched my sous-chef prepare me ‘hot’ tea and see how happy she was, I couldn’t help but travel down the memory lane J I sincerely hope she gathers more beautiful memories as she grows up J

Till then, Breakfast, anyone?

What's hidden?

Have you tried cleaning your home in the recent past? Ho, you should! You will be surprised at what all you will find..... :) Cleaning is therapeutic :) And by cleaning, I'm not just talking about dusting your living room and throwing away your old newspapers to the used paper mart. I'm talking about thorough cleaning that leaves your neighbors wondering if you are vacating  your home!

In the last 3 months, I've done a lot of cleaning, packing, unpacking and setting up things. It leaves you tiresome but at the same time it kind of makes you feel good to see those clean and tidy rooms. At the end you will be surprised how many things which you will never need or use share your home with you. Here goes the top 5 (in no particular order) that I found out hidden in my home and sometimes just in plain sight but I've never used.....

Wallets/Purses/Handbags

They are always in surplus. Yes they are empty, drenched in dust and fungus and are in funny colors. The zips probably don't work. They make you feel bad that you should have probably parted with them sooner when they were good enough so that someone who could have actually used it had had it.

Old dresses

Dresses that you stored at the back of your wardrobe in hope that it would probably fit...err... you will probably use it someday! Dresses in colors and fits that are really not you and you would only wear them before your mirror. I understand it is hard to give them away. So as a cheat sheet just pick up two-three of such dresses and give the rest away. It will actually make you feel good. And hey, now there is an other excuse for shopping. And now when you shop for new dresses, only buy those that you are comfortable in today. Don't buy anything for 'after I loose 5 kilos' how much ever you like it.

Pens/pencils/sketch pens

The most invisible ones in many homes.... I never find them when I need them to jot down an important number. But now I'm surprised at how many I  found. Most of them don't have caps and don't have ink. After all, a pen stand doesn't seem like a bad idea now. Just have to make sure that the stand is actually put into use :)

Pictures of gods

I believe in God and have a small pooja shelf(I live in an apartment :) ) for all my favorite Gods. Its one of my favorite places in my home. But when I cleaned the home I found small pictures of Gods with Calendar at the back of them in almost all the rooms. They were too many. Any small or big shop that you go during festival time in Chennai will give you loads of these calendars. You are taught not to say no to them. But them lying around in a corner of the home just makes me very sad. I honestly didn't know what to do with so many of them. Better ideas?

Cosmetics

There were many bottles of half used or almost full shampoos, moisturizers and oils. Check the expiry date and give them a try. You will most probably be saying, 'this is so good.... why did I stop using this?' And if not, why is it still crowding your shelves?

I know the list will vary according to each person. For eg., some people might consider giving away old books but I can always find a place for an old copy of Reader's Digest in my home. The thing is to make your own list of what you don't need in surplus and make sure that you stick to it. And then, probably you wouldn't have to clean your home so often like me ;) A very preachy post, isn't it? Would love to your ideas and experiences too....what's hidden in your shelves?

Letters to Emails to Facebook to ???

I remember the time I was in college and when I was new to job. Everyday, there used to be countless forwarded mails and sms-es. Funny, Quirky, Witty, Thanglish, Hinglish, please forward this to 10 people before 10’o clock …all kinds of mails. Ho, and some were thought provoking too. And not to forget those beautiful pictures of animals, flowers, niagra, sachin’s new home etc. that circulated. I would get the same forwarded mail from 5 different people within 2 days. But these days my inbox is flooded with messages from fb, daily posts from subscribed blogs, baby center mails and kinds. There are a few that I don’t know how to cut off. Oddly, ‘stop receiving mails from us’ doesn’t seem to work on them. There are occasional mails from friends too who start a chain of mails. But that’s about it. Now every activity of ours has shifted gear to facebook and other networking sites. It’s easy, quick and yes, all my friends are there. J

Technology is awesome. It definitely makes life simpler but only if we know how to draw the boundaries. Otherwise, it can be overwhelming and confusing. So what you post and what you share should be done judiciously. After all, Mark Zuckerberg agrees
By giving people the power to share, we're making the world more transparent. J

All said, I miss those forwarded emails and messages from friends in this age of facebook just like how I missed writing and receiving inland letters, postcards and greeting cards after yahoo and gmail came along. J

So do you still get those forwarded emails? Cherish them, however annoying they may be for it won’t be long when they abandon your inbox and jump to your facebook account J

Butterflies at home :)

A little more effort makes an occasion more colorful and memorable! Maybe you knew this already but I learnt it better on my daughter’s second birthday.

Till the last few days to her birthday, I was oscillating whether to have a theme around the birthday or not. The reasons were many, ‘she is too small to understand’, ‘there will be only a few guests’, ‘I don’t know if I can manage it’ and so many. But with 2 days to her birthday, a friendly nudge from Shobana made me go for it. And I’m glad I did it J

We decided on making it a Butterfly party. Butterflies are the recent craze of Adhya’s apart from Zoo Zoo. But butterflies seemed to open endless possibilities when it comes to decoration and proved relatively colorful. With bucket loads of suggestions and ideas from Shobana, the butterflies made their way into Adhya’s party.

Here are some of the pics from her birthday.

Chocolate butterflies on roses.... :P

I know with some more time, shopping and planning, it could have been even better. But nevertheless, I was happy because Adhya seemed excited with the cake, butterflies around the room and the balloons. And how wrong I was in thinking that she was too small to relate to a theme!

So here are some of my tips or should I say lesson’s learnt ;) that will help you with your kid’s birthday party at home:

• Choose a theme, simple yet something that your kid loves. However small your kid is, he or she will be able to understand it.                                                                                                            
• Talk to people who have already organized similar birthdays for ideas.
• Plan ahead of time and look carefully into all aspects. But be prepared for something to go wrong, it just happens.
• Shop from more than one place.
• Keep a checklist. Nothing to beat the good old paper and pen J
• Keep the paper plates, tissues, cups, candles, scissors, cake knife, return gifts, wash cloth and others handy or entrust them with a reliable person.
• Try to finish all the shopping part before the birthday, so that you can enjoy your kid’s birthday without being tired.
• Ho, and take a lot of photographs. However shaky they turn out, they are fun.

And this post wouldn’t be complete without thanking Shobana for all her ideas and help. Thank you Shobana J I can imagine how better she would have done it! And to those who didn’t know already, she and Sudha have come up with FunSquared to add color, life and fun to birthdays. Check them out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fun-Squared-Where-Every-Party-Is-Unique/207141172650020. Colorful, isn't it? 

Already 2 :)

2 years have whizzed by and I'm still surprised that a little one can make you feel on top of the world, clueless, happy, worried, excited, sleepy, tired, enthusiastic, proud, loved, bossy, student and what not! It wouldn't be an exaggeration when I say that she has changed our world entirely and the transition has been just wonderful :)

I just wish I have a huge storage unit built inside me to store every passing day. Yes, technology helps but there is no way the world's best camera or the choicest words would suffice to describe the happy and proud smile she gives me with gleaming eyes when she has done or learnt something new. I guess it is deeply etched inside me like the first simbha look she gave me within minutes she was born. That was one of my most happiest, out of the world moment!

Everyday we think or talk about something or the other for and about her, and being careful at the same time to not tread into her independence or dampen her creativity. Everyday is a new chapter in parenting responsibility. So far it has been great for us and its really hard to accept that Adhya is two now. And there is so much to follow....the schools, vacations, special classes, exams, choosing dresses and accessories, maths, chemistry, annual days, fancy dress competitions, rebels, reasoning, cajoling.... :) Maybe I'm thinking way ahead but with the speed time flies by I bet nothing is too far away. 

We hope and believe we will be able to connect to our little girl and her smile anytime and anywhere :)

Love you Adhya....  Happy second birthday :)

Teachers and Lessons

Teachers: Most of them get into this job with full understanding and there are a few who do not even realize that they are teachers. I guess every one of us have been a teacher at one stage of our life or the other but we've always been and will always remain students first. There is just so much to learn and everyday, every person and every circumstance is a new lesson.

But let’s just touch upon teachers, with tomorrow being teacher’s day. I've had many amazing teachers. Maybe I've forgotten the algebra and optics lessons that they have taught but not their subconsciously imbibed principles. They have taught me to never blindly reciprocate something if I haven't understood what I am reading; copying, even assignments will never help in the long run; marks really do not matter; if you have your heart in what you do, you will definitely get it; when you help others with their studies, you will help yourselves too and so many other things.

And of course your friends teach you that group studies are helpful only when the examination is 2 to 3 hours away, check the timetable before picking the books and you can learn so much at 12 in the night through a telephone. :)

Parents are our first teachers. You never realize how much they have taught us just with their habits, actions and reactions. Its only when someone tells you, 'you are just like your mother/father' you understand how much their influence has been in your life. And then you learn/unlearn so many things from your siblings and better half. Not to forget the books you read. It is said that once you read a book, your world is never the same as before you started that book. And yes, there are many books that truly fall into that category.

And my recent teacher is my daughter and there are so many things that she has taught me already. She has made me realize that it is the tiny and minutest things that makes us happy, a smile can do wonders and has stressed again that there is something new to learn from everything!

And this post won't be complete without mentioning my latest teacher, my driving instructor. In the initial few days, I thought he was forced into teaching driving to us mere mortals against his better interest. His impatience just made me more nervous. But yes, every teaching method is different and slowly I'm beginning to understand that all his on-the-verge-almost-yelling is just to make me a better and responsible driver. After all, if I don't drive well, I'm sure I'll be getting more harsh lessons from other drivers in the roads. If you are in or have been to Chennai, you will know what I’m saying ;)

So in all, I'm happy to have had so many wonderful teachers. Hope the learning continues :)

Happy teacher’s day everyone J Happy teaching and happy learning!!

Troubled thoughts...

A visit to the pediatrician never fails to leave me nervous and the last visit was no different. Probably this was the reason for my lack of concentration and one of the reasons for my wallet being picked in an MTC bus. But you never know…

It was just a rare one-the –spot decision that made me board the bus along with my mom and daughter. After my mom and daughter sat down, I was standing beside them. The two girls behind me looked very scared. They were shabbily dressed and so was the little kid which the girl right behind me had perched so carelessly. Runny nose, sooty hair, blank eyes and a very soiled dress is how I remember the boy (somehow, I feel that the kid must be a boy) who stared at me. He must just be around a year old.

I was previously so worried about my daughter’s cold and all the medicines that she had to take. And now it somehow hurt me more to think that this kid was not even being treated. Kids should not suffer in any form.

You would have guessed by now about how I lost my wallet. They got down in two stops and when we got down I realized I had lost it. There were just a few hundreds but the girls left me with the dreadful task of calling up the bank to block my card, reapplying for the very important pan card and so. Yes, I agree I should have been more attentive, shouldn't have carried my pan card everywhere and maybe shouldn't have taken a bus at all. My glaring mistakes apart the incident has left me very troubled. I somehow am not able to forget the little boy and it has left me with so many questions:

• Whose kid is that? Is the girl his mom? If yes, how can she do this? If no, whose kid is that?
• When she had held the boy carelessly what if he had been hurt?
• Do they get him something to eat throughout the day?
• How will the kid grow up to be? Will he go to school or will he learn all the tricks in this trade before he passes his childhood?
• Isn't this worse than child labor?
• Why can’t the kid have a normal childhood? It is not by choice that he is in this trade?
• How many more kids are being tortured this way?

I know I might never find any answers to any of my questions but I couldn't stop venting about it.

Wish that certain things never happen!