Jai Ho! (Ella pugazhum iraivanukke)

My weekend was a wonderfully busy one, peppered with joys and many disappointments. From a blog (can't remember whose) I was inspired to make every friday evening a wine-and-movie evening with husband at home. Sort of a mini-date :) This Friday, courtesy Dish TV it was 'Slumdog Millionaire' (in time for the statues) and courtesy husband lovely Merlot from Chateau Indage.

I imagined Saturday morning would be wonderful too. We had a school orientation to attend(yeah, for Button. ALREADY!) This school in Bandra offers a mother-toddler program for babies (ages 8 - 14 months) and their moms. I had missed the Jan orientation thanks to a bad flu. So the husband and I, Button and helper, headed off to a friend's house in Bandra (to leave Button behind). Just as I waved my byes to Button, he (made of sterner stuff) began his yelling practice(which sadly, gets appeased only with being nursed by darling mamma). The delay cost us... heavily. We ran to the school (literally). We were two minutes late and the room was full. Therefore entry was barred. Result? I had had enough with all my plans (of late) coming to naught. I couldn't help it, precious tears just rolled down my cheeks. My dear husband (P) can usually counter a fair fight, but tears just bring him to his knees. He whisked me off to our car and brought me to (guess, guess!) a jewelry store. Yippeee...... Check out the lovely earrings I was given. But was I appeased? Nope. I too am made of sterner stuff! We went to Crossroads for some book therapy and then to Patel's for some exotic-stuff-usually-thrown-away-post-expiry purchases. Finally, I heaved a sigh of relief and agreed to be civil during the lunch we had to go to. :)

Sunday dawned. I found out that Monday was a holiday, but P, having decided that being workaholic is not enough, had planned to go to Kolkata for recruitments at his alma mater. He was excited, but I sure wasn't. So another bout of retail therapy followed a 40%-off-Lifestyle and 50%-off-Body Shop. Am I grinning? YUP, YUP, YUP :)

Monday arrived. Two Indians created history at the Oscars. One of them being the man of my dreams. Ever since I heard the Leo Coffee jingle. Much has been written about how SM's music is not ARR's best. I don't care. He won it for this film. He WON it. That is all that matters. And in Delhi 6, although popular vote goes for 'Masakali', I vote for 'Maula Maula'. What I can bet on is that his humility and quiet assurance would never change, nor will the innovation in his music. More power to him for bringing the Indian sentiment of 'Mere paas maa hai' (I hope Button remembers me in his Oscar acceptance too!)

Button stood up by himself today. He has to hold on to something, but can somehow contort himself to standing position somehow. He is practicing to be a Bus Conductor or Concert Conductor someday. He cannot get enough of standing. Gosh, he exhausts me sometimes.

Jai Ho to my weekend, Jai Ho for the music.

ps: The rest of the title is a Tamil Muslim phrase meaning "Praise be to the Almighty", as quoted by ARR in his acceptance speech.

Blog is acting up....

....I can't view the last post when I enter my blog link... I guess my crankiness this evening has rubbed off on the blog too.. or is it being the proverbial cheshire cat? (Gulp, is my blog clairvoyant?)

2009

`Well! I've often seen a cat without a grin,' thought Alice; `but a grin without a cat! It's the most curious thing I ever saw in my life!'

Okay, the cat is back :) and hopefully before I disappear again, I shall remain to blog a few times.

For starters, Button has turned me into a die-hard infant-gazer. To put it mildly, infants have always screamed their guts out in my curly haired presence. Button had no choice (poor boy!) And at 8 months, I am under his spell. Never realised a 70-cms-tall bundle of energy could captivate me so much. The fascination has now extended to his brethren as well and I am almost willing to start a day care centre for babies. (Miracle miracle!)

Anyways, Button has become a powerhouse of energy and naughtiness personified. He loves to pick up anything in his vicinity on the bed, crawl in a jiffy to the edge of the bed, throw the object and then hurl himself after it! The first time he fell off the bed, I howled louder than he did (ah, a new way to shut him up!). Am now a 'Sehwag ki ma' type Button-catcher. In two seconds I can twist myself and somehow catch him before he leaps off the bed, sometimes in mid air (and if you know how much I weigh, its a Guiness record type feat, I assure you!)

The 'South India' in a person never leaves him, even if he was born and raised in Bombay. After trying all types of solids, from the 'North Indian' nachni, dals and wheat, I finally relented one day and fed Button mashed rice with a dash of salt and ghee. Since then, he not only finishes rice each time (no matter how large the portion), he pleads for more as well. (All my dreams of raising a orange-juice-and-toast-breakfast-eater cruelly dashed to the ground. Bring out the idli maker!)

In non-Button news, the husband and I have started going out on mini vacations (with Button of course). We did our Jan vaca in Madh Island. Twas' a start, albeit with a rating of just okay. In other household news, I've finally found a coupla maids (having sacked the last one for giving me child-rearing advice every second minute she was in my house, despite repeated warnings). Also dusted the treadmill in the hope that I shall begin using it SOON :)

Thanks for not giving up on my blog. I hope the new year dawned well for you and you had a romantic Valentine's day. More adventures follow.