I thinked!

Sabbatical

2009-08-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

With Button's school and a growing list of school related activities,I barely manage to find time to blog ( more importantly the inner energy and enthusiasm for blogging seems to have ebbed). Although the wish to blog is dormant at the moment, I have resolved to come back after a few weeks.

All my blog friends, thanks for bringing sunshine to my life. I shall keep checking on you and leaving comments as usual.

As for Button, he is so full of energy and new developments every day, that I find each day whizzing past.

Take care and as the big man said "hasta la vista baby" :)

...the Birthday Party

2009-07-05T05:23:00.000-07:00

6th of June dawned bright and sunny (thank God!) We had invited about 60 people of which about 50 turned up. We had called people over for lunch as we thought it would give us ample time to catch up with our friends. The menu was simple. A few Maharashtrian specialities for starters (including my favourite kothambir vadi), dal-chawal and a couple of subzis for lunch and gulab jamun and cake for dessert. We had ordered a 'Mickey Mouse' cake for Button as it was the only cartoon character he could identify at that time.

My mom and I wanted to "do" something ourselves and decided to make several posters to make the event even more special. I designed several posters that I got printed out on photo-paper. We pasted them onto hand made paper and made some designs all around. We discovered a shop called 'Hobby Ideas' in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai and became kids-in-a-candy-shop again! We shopped for several hundreds, including punches that could punch holes in a certain design, paints, metallic colors, stickers, rub-on embossings and what not! Reminded me of the olden-golden days when SUPW used to be so boring :)

Button was slightly cranky at the party as everybody wanted to hold him. The other kids seemed to have a ball though. They had a blast especially with the balloons (we had ordered about 300 balloons to be put up and a 100 more to be left lying loose in a corner).

All in all, we were happy at having been able to thank Button's well-wishers in Bombay.

Button, I wish you happiness and health. May you learn to take decisions on your own and stand by them. May you grow up to be healthy and wise, happy and nice. May you have courage to do the right thing always, even if it means lesser money or popularity. God Bless sweetheart!

Sun shining through...

2009-07-05T04:46:00.000-07:00

...after two days of continuous rains, which alternatively left me in high spirits and black depressive moods, the sun came through just an hour ago... and here is the view from my bedroom.

June just flew past....

2009-07-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

...what with two birthday celebrations, "annual" check up, school and the horrible monsoons.....

In a bid to recollect Button's first b'day, I jot down my memories.

I slogged my b^tt off. Thankfully my parents were here to take care of me :) We could not celebrate Button's "star" b'day on 26th of May as my husband's grandmom passed away. We conducted his "aayush homam", "ganapathi homam" and "navagraha homam" on his date of birth instead. We dressed him up in a silk dhoti and he DID look like a li'l Krishna! It was a lovely auspicious occasion and the traditionalist in me reveled at the chants and "havan" and awesome food!

On the 6th(which was a saturday), we called a few friends over to a restaurant(nearby) for lunch(about 50 people turned up). The invitation read as follows...

Dear Aunty and Uncle,

I turn 1 this year.To fill you in on my progress over the last year, I can now stand holding amma's hand, even take a couple of wobbly steps, though I prefer crawling. I love music, especially this uncle called A R Rahman (who composed two of my favourite songs 'Masakali' and 'Ringa ringa ringa'). I love rasam rice and Marie biscuits. When I go to my grandparents' houses I get to see many birds and animals, which I like. I love switching on the light and switching it off (about fifty times in two minutes is my personal record). I love reading my books and tearing up amma's (they do not have any pictures, so boring na?) I like my toys, but prefer appa's laptop and mobile and something he calls blackberry (which is my competitor for appa’s attention!).

Next month onwards, I shall be a bit busy with school. So I've asked amma and appa to invite you for lunch on the 6th of June'09 (Saturday), so that I can thank you in person for your blessings, love and good wishes. Please remember to take a slice of the yummy cake and don't forget to check out my lovely new clothes. I have attached some pictures of me over the last year. Enjoy! :)

The Venue
Utsav Restaurant, Ravindra Natya Mandir
Prabhadevi (Behind Siddhi Vinayak, alongside the ICICI Bank)

Other notes:
* Lunch timings: 12 noon - 1.30 p.m.
* Cake cutting at 12.30 p.m.
* Underground parking available in plenty
* Please let us know in case you would not be able to attend to give us time to decide how long you need to stand in the punishment corner.

I look forward to seeing you.

Giggles and Gurgles
Button

TO BE CONTINUED.......

Best Laid Plans and Mr.Murphy

2009-05-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to love and respect my mom more than before :) Seriously, planning a b'day lunch for a few friends is turning out to be more exhausting than I thought it could be.

* The cake guys do not deliver on Button's b'day.
* The restaurant has announced a hike in its buffet rates effective June 1st (Drat, why couldn't have Button been a May baby?)
* The driver decides he wants to quit.
* The balloon seller/decorator has to go to his village to attend his cousin's brother-in-law's neighbour's cat's wedding. Sheesh!
* My parents have come down with the flu, and I am yet to recover.
* The husband has to plan a launch of some product this month only, so comes home like a thief after ten and leaves before we wake up. Only his dirty clothes on the floor are traces of his visit.
* The husband announces TODAY(4 days before the lunch) that he hasn't invited the 3 people that I'd asked him to call as he did not have time. Solution? "Lets not invite them", he says. (Men, I say!)
* The husband buys lovely clothes from Baby Gap for Button from Singapore. I opened the bag today to check his taste and ALL of the clothes are T-shirts. I am going to dress Button in a t-shirt and diaper. Bah!
* My cook and maid want an off the same weekend as the lunch. The babysitter is yet to announce her claims or join the maid's union.

Mr.Murphy, I have scores to settle with you. Just you wait!

Snippets

2009-05-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

In the last month life has been flying past. Just so that I do not forget the month that is almost over...

Button Snippets...
* Button loves my grandpa, who is just 92 years young! He insisted on eating with my grandpa and even sleeping with him. My grandpa (in his own inimitable style) told him stories of Oliver Twist being hit on the head by Mr.Bumble and Hamlet's dad having had poison poured into his ear. Button seemed really fascinated with these gory details!

* Every time Button visits my parents, it rains in Chennai and Kalpakkam. This time was no exception with thunder storms and rains galore. What IS this connection?

* Button loves oriental-eyed air-hostesses. (Data points: 3 flights from his total of 7) I returned solo with Button from Chennai to Mumbai. Thank god for Ms.Agatha with Jet Konnect who my son just luuvvveed. All she had to do was to smile and grin and hold her hands out wide (SRK style) to him and he would smile and favour her with his rendition of 'Jai Ho'. She even gave him a piggy bank as a take away gift.

* Button's third tooth is slowly making an appearance. He is somewhat down with a mild stomach infection and cold. Nothing to counter my really bad flu and horrible throat infection though.

Life otherwise...
* I traveled 90 kms from Kalpakkam to Chennai with Button in tow to cast my 'secret' ballot. Really thrilled that I exercised my choice, although almost all of the election officers on duty decided to walk around the ballot box when I cast my vote. Sigh! Not that it helped the party of my choice. Anyways, heres hoping Mr.Singh does something about infrastructure this time around.

* Last weekend was my first major night-out sans the husband and baby. I attended my alumni meet (which seemed milder than the ones we'd hosted thanks to nostalgia and age). Nonetheless I danced like a Dervish-on-bhang to every song they played(incl 'ma ka laadla bigad gaya'), chatted up with friends' bosses (my friends hate me for it now!) and managed to tell the audience how my job of 'managing my one year old boss' was the toughest in this planet! The fun bit was how after a few drinks I switched to Sprite (you know, just to keep up appearances) and a batchmate took a sip and said "Oh, you haven't lost your touch gal. Such a STRRROOONNGGG drink" Ha ha ha!!

* My parents are here. My dad in his usual 'i-know-hindi-very-well' style instructed a taxi driver to take him to "Kings Golmaal" this morning ("Kings Circle" people!)

Me in wonderland!

2009-04-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

My self-confessed hibernation is thanks to an active 10 month old at home, whose every antic is so much fun and so much joy. I think when Button is 5 years old, am finally going to shake off this sense of wonder, call all my friends I have been ignoring to apologize, as to my fellow bloggers and my family!

To record for my failing memory's sake... (Button, here is what you enjoy doing these days...)

Button has begun making funny noises... some of them actual vowels and consonants. He says 'ba ba ba ba ba' incessantly, ' mamma' when he is physically hurt and 'tha tha tha', sometimes 'aa-boom, aa-doom, aa-gloom, aa-koom", also practises urdu shaayiri with a hand in the air as though reciting a couplet that goes "fa fa fa..aa aa, aa-gloom, aa-doom, ba ba ba ba..., foom toom boom"! (Wah wah, I say!)

Button seems to enjoy wearing new clothes. He actually is happy or sad in a particular combination. (Not inherited from me or his dad!)Button loves the color yellow. He especially loves smart denims when he leaves home. He enjoys trying on caps, hats and what not. However, this just does not extend to shoes of any kind. He hates anything on his feet, be it shoes, socks or a blanket during sleep. A regular hippie dude! At home though, he hates clothes. He loves to just sit around in a ganji and nothing more. Actually strips off his shorts or track pants by himself! Howzzat?

Button has two tiny teeth peeking out of his lower jaw, but they are yet to make a full appearance. He enjoys biscuits, loves cheese, has finally begun drinking water (though yet unable to master the straw or a sippy cup). He loves the toys on his high chair (I fully recommend the rain forest series from Fisher-Price) He thinks its a game to eat :) I must say (cross my fingers, and toes for good measure) that he is not a fussy eater!

What is Button fussy about? Being put to sleep. He is a baby of routine. Come 8.30 a.m., 11.45 a.m., 2.45p.m. and 8.45 p.m. he wants his mamma to feed him to sleep. He begins rubbing his eyes and pulling his hair and ears. I find it tough though to feed him each time as I'd like to wean him off too. He refuses to get ferberized or sleep by himself. While am glad that there is a routine, I wish I'd taught him to sleep by himself too. Any suggestions?

In other miscellaneous notes, he loves books. Just cannot do without books. Music is another passion. My husband and I are still stunned by how he responds to music. Has good taste too! Button has begun to stand up and walk a few steps holding on. Does not particularly enjoy crawling and resorts to a combination of walking-creeping-crawling to get to destination. Stills howls when I switch on the hairdryer. Hates sitting on the kitchen platform or being alone once evening sets in.

I am so in love with the way he responds to words and actions. It is amazing how much a baby can absorb... I know all the mommies reading this are shaking their heads thinking why I am stating the obvious... because it wasn't so obvious even a few weeks ago... but now it is so visible... Button's reactions, his concentration when he is trying to master a skill or action... I think I am finally in love with the thought of being a mom :) It grows with every milestone! Stay happy, my child.

Ps: All tags shall be completed soon :) Pls hang on. And mamma of O and T, I really apologize for not yet accepting and displaying my award. I promise to do it soon.

Ps2: Mamma, am coming home!

Tuppence, Two Cents and my Baarah Aane.

2009-03-24T03:31:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a riot, both in my little world and the big bad world outside.

Like my eco prof in b-school would say in his accent, "Let ush doo da maaaacro-ekonumiksh fusht" :) Was ashamed to read of the death at IIT-Kharagpur caused by lack of medical facilities. Imagine his parents... they would have had so many dreams for their child. He must've slogged his butt off to get into IIT. And then a sudden end because of no medical facilities? Shocking. And we talk of "india Shining'. God help us! In the same vein, I was stunned to read of the death of a medical student in HP in a ragging incident. He was beaten to death by his seniors. I know all of us have academic or professional or personal pressures, but does it ever merit violence of this order? I wonder why not one of these wannabe doctors had the sense to stop? They have sealed their own fate in one case of peer pressure. Sigh!

IPL and the elections are leaving me bemused, sometimes bored. So I skip the topic and move on to my little world.

Last saturday P and I attended an orientation at a school (based in Bandra) for their mother-toddler program. This program is offered to infants and toddlers in the age bracket of 7 - 17 months and their mother/father (who accompany the child to the school for a one hour and fifteen minutes session thrice a week). Given the age of the 'students', naturally, no formal teaching is involved. The child is exposed to music, games involving gross and fine motor skills and different languages (Hindi, English and Marathi). Nothing that cannot be taught at home, but I like the concept of Button being able to interact with babies his age. P and I were stunned to receive a questionnaire at the end of the orientation. We had to fill out the answers separately. A sample of the questions is listed below.
* If you think your child should inculcate good manners such as being polite, who do you think is responsible for developing the same?
* What do you want your child to be?
* Why do you think your child should receive a holistic education?
* What is the difference between spirituality and religion?
Well, we were amused, but being the tams that we are, any exam is to be taken seriously, even if it is an opinion poll :) So we did our best and await results this friday. Am not yet sure if Button should travel from Prabhadevi to Bandra (travel time = 1 hour) at this age, but the decision can wait until results are out!

I have become a maid manager these days. My cook comes in the morning and watches me cook (seriously, she doesn't know how to cook and has been 'learning' for over a week now. Even how to make tea!) Then my kaamwali maid arrives and takes no notice of my repeated entreaties to wash the vessels after scouring them or to pour water over the bathroom floors after washing them with a floor cleaner. (She has a ball watching me do my slide dance when I enter the bathroom to bathe Button). In the meantime my baby-sitter arrives. She forgets any instruction I give her (to rival my memory!) So every day's work spills over to the next 2 -4 days. Finally in the evening, another maid comes to sweep and swab again. She has to have a story-telling session everyday (and in true spirit I compete with make-believe episodes!) Mostly stories of her 'koliwada', the absence of morality there, her good old days as a fish monger and how I have to be 'careful' with a young baby around. Oh, and how could I forget my driver? Mr.Gautam just has to see a red light and becomes a bull worthy of a spanish matador. He zooms ahead at full speed. Sometimes, even a speed-breaker does the same to him. And if I do not ask him to switch off the music, I get to hear the same 'Kiss me kiss me kiss me' type song on every station (he fiddles at top speed too) at top volume. I must say that at about half past seven, when it is just me and a tranquil cooing Button, I feel like I am in heaven, in peace. Only until P arrives. I have to return to adult words and the adult world then. :)

Mere paas Maa hai!

2009-03-11T00:41:00.000-07:00

I went through this horrendous phase of forgetfulness a few days ago. One day, I called some friends over for tea. And conveniently coerced my husband into taking me to a mall for some shopping. He had no idea that I had "not" cancelled the invitation. And horror of horrors, they turned up home on time too! I feel terrible about the incident even today. Thank god these friends are close friends and know me well enough to take my trip about it often enough without malice or hurt! Another day, a friend, her husband and infant daughter were in the hall. I had just taken a quick shower and stepped out without my pants (HORROR!!!) Thank god it was breezy and I wondered why it was droughty around my knees and looked down just in time to rectify my blunder. Would have gone into hibernation for years had I walked out. The worst incident happened last week, when I forgot to cook for Button. I just forgot. Poor chappie had to do with Nestum and Cerelac the whole day. Short Term Memory Loss a la Ghajini, anyone?

My building is undergoing a massive renovation now. All windows except the one shall be boarded up soon and we shall live in stifling heat and dust while the exteriors are recoated with waterproof plaster. Just as the work started, Button came down with a massive fever. Whenever I read blogposts talking about how stressed mommies were when their li'l uns were sick, I would tell myself that I would be strong and courageous and practical and not worry at all whenever Button fell sick. Ah! how the mighty fall :) Button is unwell now, and people around me are sick of my fussing around him. Am getting over the Florence Nightingale phase, but it tugs my heart to see the little baby burning up and not able to eat or be too active. Get well soon Button. I promise to endure your tantrums and naughty deeds.

Thank god for moms. My mom is here for a week-long visit and had she not been there, my husband would've definitely checked himself into an asylum. She manages to keep peace in the house despite my constant questions such as - "oh, isn't he hot?" or "Should I wrap another blanket around him?" or "His temperature was 100 deg a minute ago, should I check again?" What is scary is the thought that one day I shall be the mom who brings sanity to Button's house. Will I ever be able to don the mantle of a calm, composed mom?? I doubt!

The next few weeks should be super fun with the IPL and the elections. As NDTV calls it, its time for the Great Indian Tamasha. On another note, I recommend 'The Reader' and 'Vicky, Christina, Barcelona'. Happy Holi everyone.

Madness and Mayhem

2009-03-03T00:40:00.000-08:00

Button is so clearly developing a mind of his own. He can now babble 'ba ba ba' continuously, but chooses to do it ONLY when his dad is around. His baby-sitter is not helping my case by teaching him how to say 'appa' all the time. So the moment P comes into the room, Button goes into babble-overdrive. Its a task to shut him up!

ARR's youngest fan is Button indeed(after all both of us are such staunch fans of ARR). Whenever he listens to 'Masakali' he begins grinning. He also goes still (as if when he grins the rest of the body cannot move). I caught on immediately and began putting on the tape only when I had to change his diapers. So one evening, I put on the CD (despite the fact that he did not need a diaper change) and he started howling and stopped only when I pulled out a diaper and showed him. Gosh, how fast does a routine set in?

Button loves to watch the view from my bedroom and what a view it is (pls refer to pics). In the migratory season (NOW), there are scores of egrets and herons and storks and other such birds which alight on the mudflats near my home in low tide (those little specks in the pic). Button loves to watch them. These birds fly in a large group and often change mudflats in a huge swirl of white wings. Button, at 9 months, does not understand the concept of 'distance' yet. He puts out his hands in the hope of capturing one of 'em and gets annoyed when none of them alight near him. Bozo!

In TV news, I feel really sorry for a character in 'Balika Vadhu', whose husband-to-be is killed on the way to their wedding. But I feel sorrier for the characters who have to mouth silly lines... for example, the mother of the slain groom. As he son is bleeding, she has a line that goes "Dekhiye na, un badmaashon ne hamare bete to kya kiya". Duh! And even more amusing is the fact that the boy (who is shot through his chest and forced to lie on his mom's lap) smiles in memory of his waiting bride and refuses to let go of some flowers he picked for he. Is is possible to smile when a bullet is making friends with your lungs? Double duh.

Another TV grouse. Yes, it is shocking that Sri Lankan cricketers were attacked in Lahore. But CNN-IBN had no business talking to Javed Miandad the way they did. The reporters seemed to imply that terrorist attacks in Mumbai posed no security threats, but God save Pakistan if even a fire cracker shouted out to the cricketers. They asked him several RUDE questions with phrases like "in your country" and "terror outfits seem to originate in Pakistan". Please give normal citizens of the country a break. After all India has several terror outfits too (Ram Sene included). No need to harass a poor ex-cricketer. Am certainly Cheesed off.

Am continuing to battle maid trouble and lack of will power to lose weight. Hope both get resolved quickly. :) My last maid stopped doing one chore after the other citing lack of time, until she wore my patience out. When I asked her about her inefficiency, she said she would only do 1 - 3 of 10 agreed tasks as she did not 'feel' like doing the rest for me! (Is it me or is it me?) My current maid, on the 3rd day of her employment wants me to increase her salary by 200 bucks every month. Now, the money is one part, but what about professionalism? Where is it? I feel like am being held threat by a gang of extortionists.

Jai Ho! (Ella pugazhum iraivanukke)

2009-02-23T03:58:00.000-08:00

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....

2009-02-17T07:05:00.001-08:00

....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

2009-02-17T03:59:00.000-08:00

`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.

Hindi baat

2008-12-16T09:14:00.000-08:00

Advance warning: Non-Hindi readers, pl skip post as it turned out to be too long to include translations.

Prologue: Daddy dearest has lived all his life in the land of Tamils except for a brief 11 months stint in training school, BARC at Chembur, Mumbai. Mommy has lived in the north of Vindhyas only vicariously through the Hindi movies of the '70s. Here is a record of some of their Hindi 'Laughter is the best medicine' type stories!
PS: Any movie makers looking for material for a Southie spoof, here are your answers!

Year: 1999; Location: Souvenir shop, Katra (near Jammu, base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine)
Mommy - Yeh, yeh, yeh, yeh and yeh, kitna?
Shopkeeper: Maaji, sab milaaki pachees.
Mommy: Ennathu? Too much, too much. Pachaas. That's all.
Shopkeeper: Hain???!!!!

Year: 2003; Location: Kolkata
Dad: Tum jaanta Raj hotel?
Cabbie: Nahin saab.
Dad: (waving his hands wildly to indicate right) Yahaan se seedha, (then gesturing to the right) phir seedha, (another right)ek aur seedha, (then left) phir udhar se aisa seedha.
Cabbie: Phew! Main poochta hoon kisi se!

Year: 2008 Location:Mumbai
Postman: Yeh parcel sirf Meera madam ko dena hai
Dad: Woh feeding karta hai. Tum apun to deta hai. Main madam ko feeding baad mein deta hai. Ab deta aur jaata!
Postman: Uh, okay. Sign karo!

Not to be outdone, here are two gaffes of mine which my friends never let me forget. (here's to Kunal and Dips!)

Year: 2001, Location: Puri Beach, early in the morning on new year's
Me: Kunal, sunrise kitna sundar hai. I love the sunrise because mein to beach pe hi ugi thi!

Year: 2002, Location: Gurgaon
[I called my friend and her mom picked up the phone. I thought I'd be polite and enquire about her parents]
Me: Aunty, aap kaise ho? Dipti ke baap kaise hain?

Cheers!

Ahoy from the South!

2008-12-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

Button turned six months old :) I finally feel like a veteran mommy.... am a certified diaper changer, sleep-deprived soul, story teller in 3 languages and a connoisseur of baby talk, not to mention how I can nurse Button just about anywhere without worrying too much about any skin-show! New skills indeed! My husband and I celebrated by attacking a date-walnut cake and demolishing it in minutes! And of course the brief Kerala trip.

We did Button's annaprashnam at Guruvayoor on the 6th of Dec (the security was super tight and reassuring). Button looked like a doll in a veshti (the south Indian wrapper in cream and gold). We fed him 7 different types of food off a banana leaf at 5.00 a.m. and although it was so early in the morning, he still slurped and licked his mouth. We also did a tulabaram (paid for his weight in sugar and bananas, the proceeds of which would go towards feeding children supported by the temple trust).

He was a model child until we returned to Cochin airport from where the dad and son parted ways to fly to two different cities. I've always rolled my eyes at those babies who become cranky, loud and impossible in a flight and always believed that my baby would remain a paragon of virtue onboard any flight cos' that is how I'd've brought him up. Button CRASHED those dreams of mine into the netherworld on my solo trip with him from Kochi to Chennai. The moment he saw us leaving withought dad, he began yelling, kicking and screaming. He cried non-stop(except when air hostess Bineesha of Kingfisher airways would stop to smile her dimpled smile at him! God Bless her!) The moment he saw my mom-in-law(upon landing) he gave me an evil grin and went to her. As if I wanted him back after that flight!

I came to my mom's place this morning and Button showed off by doing the worm crawl for the first time today. Described as neenjal in tamizh, he basically pulled up his butt and somehow moved towards his fave cloth book this afternoon.

More posts to follow on lots of topics vying for attention on this blog. In a bit! Until then, enjoy the great weather :)

Jaago Re: Vote out the rot

2008-12-01T20:28:00.000-08:00

After the shock and anger passed, am now filled with a sense of urgency, especially after reading and watching how some of our "leaders" reacted. RR Patil the Deputy CM of Maharashtra said that there would always be an incident or two such as this (the recent attacks on Taj Mahal, Oberoi etc.) in a big city like Mumbai and his boss, the CM of Maharashtra 'Shri' Vilasrao Deshmukh decided to visit the affected sites with a filmmaker. What empathy!

Now I'd like to do something.... no, I rephrase, I WANT to do something... but what? A million single efforts are not going to solve the problem. Like Obama said, I need Change, I need Leadership and I need Vision. I want to believe that as an Indian I can contribute to bettering my country. I realise that I need a strong leader to take this country to a better morrow. And for all this rhetoric in my blog (and in my head), I realise I NEED TO VOTE.

All media images of polling booths show SEC B, C, D and sub D categories voting. Never has a car stopped to let out a couple of educated MBA professionals/Media Managers/Engineers/Investment Bankers vote. C'mon, how many of you have ever voted? I have promised to myself I shall cast my vote in EVERY election that I can. At least let my voice be heard, use my right as a citizen, show the way to my son and his son. Taking a small step forward, I have already arranged to apply for my voter's ID card (which I am ashamed to admit, I still do not possess at the ripe voting age of 29!) I shall be back with more details of whether you can vote outside your constituency etc. But meanwhile do check out "jaagore.com"

To paraphrase Michael, nee Mikaeel Jackson, lets make the world a better place for you and for me and the entire human race.

ps: Here are more voices -
http://mammamiameamamma.blogspot.com/2008/11/lets-do-something.html
http://orangeicecandy.blogspot.com/2008/11/yeh-desh-hai-meraswades-hai-mera.html

'Numb'ai

2008-11-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

Mumbai being held to ransom again. This time a really planned and horrifically beautifully executed terror strike by the Deccan Mujaheddin. I woke up to 50 missed calls on all the phone lines we have. Parents, relatives, friends... all worried. Am pretty shaken by the regularity of attacks on Mumbai.

What I don't understand is why the TV channels, notably Times NOW and Headlines Today are bent upon showing where the police operations are, where they are stationed(roof tops of nearby buildings, each of them named!), how many of them(20 at each location), what weapons they possess (smoke bombs, AK 47s, hand grenades) and what their strategy could be (ah, finally speculation!) Do they think the terrorists in the Taj Mahal hotel have NO access to television????? Irresponsible journalism. In the name of 'breaking news', they are only sensationalising the terror strike. No depth of coverage. No feelings for the hostages' families. (Ex: On Times Now, there was a hot line for hostages to reach out to their families. A person calls asking for any info about his brother-in-law who was last seen in Kandahar, a restaurant in the Trident Oberoi. The reporter cuts him off mid sentence with assuring news reports that the Taj was the focus of the police force. How would this caller feel?)

I hope Mumbai moves to a higher level of security. Pray for the hostages. May the terrorist be caught and punished, in their lifetime or atleast mine.

Quantum of Solace!

2008-11-25T22:26:00.000-08:00

No, not the movie, uh, maybe a little bit, but the solace that my helper has now brought to my life. To explain my cryptic statement, rewind to last week of October. To ferry a boat without hands, in a storm, in the dark would've been easier than to have managed my suddenly-tantrum-throwing-son and my newly-turned-antagonistic-maid and my-always-messy-cook, not to mention my-very-stressed-out-husband in the last week of October. Did I mention I had no one else with me? My m-i-l came with me to Bombay, gave me time to unpack and get my maid working again and returned to Chennai. And then the hurricane hit! I was clueless(actually still am) as to how to manage domestic help, my very-demanding baby and the house. I barely found time to bathe and eat before he would start screaming. So I began looking for a helper... and found one a week ago.

Raji is a godsend. She comes at about 9 in the morning and leaves at about half past five. She does all the odd jobs that stack up now that Button is here - from washing his bottles to hanging his clothes to dry and ironing 'em, to cleaning his stroller, straightening out stuff and watching over him when I eat and bathe... and he hasn't even started crawling! She is slowly learning to hold him and engage him. What I also like about her is that she is smart, quick on the uptake and willing to learn (and no, am not thinking about the day she decides to leave!)

In the last month, we also started solids for Button and discovered that he could easily be the world's spitting champion in the babies category. His aim (usually my hair) and timing (usually when am scooping his next spoonful) are brilliantly well-planned and fabulously accurate. He has discovered that he can sing.... for the neighbours...LOUDLY. Usually chooses his riyaaz timings when I just close my eyes for a fifteen minute nap, if am lucky I even get to sleep for 5 minutes. Oh, and he loves to roll over and that is reserved for mamma's bath times. Result? I have learnt to take a bath and change clothes in 4 minutes flat (and beating my own record every third day!) And the cup of naughtiness brimmeth over with his licking habit... he is ready to lick just about anything. Samples include ink pots, sofa legs, cell phones, his own diapers, AC remote, all his toys and their wrapping paper, not to mention his fave breakfast...the Mumbai Mirror! (Mamma likes it too, only to read though!) In short he is a handful and on his way to being naughtier. And aye yum luvving it!!

In early December, the husband and I are planning to take him to Guruvayoor for his annaprashnam. After Kerala, we are heading for home and shall be back only in end December.

PS: I went with my friends to watch Bond, leaving Button and hubby behind. Needless to say, I was super-stressed about Button missing me through the movie and Bond was so lack lustre that I obviously thought it was a waste of 200 bucks. Craig was so-not-hot (or have my interests changed?)

And and for the amrikaans, Happy Thanksgiving!

The dark side of the moon!

2008-10-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Button is slowly developing a naughty side (thanks to much encouragement from my m-i-l). Can’t say am complaining now ☺ For example, he seems to love the game of peek-a-boo. My m-i-l hides her face with her hands in front of him and questions “Patti enga?” (where is grandmom?). The moment he touches her hand or pulls a hand away she says “itho” (here) and he smiles instantly. He repeats this with my husband too. However, when I hide my face and ask him “amma enga?”, he starts chortling loudly and refuses to pull away my hand. Beauty, beholder et al!

Similarly when my m-i-l holds her index finger to him, he is in a hurry to reach it.. be it with his hands or feet. When mommy dearest tries to repeat it, he gives me a look and usually puts his index finger in his mouth (surefire recipe to irritate me!) Oh, and once the index finger is in, he shows surprising strength and resists all attempts to pull out mentioned digit.

In other news, he loves his stroller. He got gifted his first pair of jeans and looks like a miniature-man (if you know what I mean, a mini mee type person!) when he wears it. He has been invited to his first b’day party tomorrow and I hope he likes crowds and socializing.

On an unrelated note, yay to Mr.Goyal for reinstating the Jet cabin crew staff. I know how traumatic losing a job suddenly could be and am glad that so many hundreds of people were spared that agony. Happy flying everyone! And I hope my good friends who insisted on watching me breastfeed Button on take-off from Chennai last fortnight are back to flying, hopefully more enlightened!

'Bomb'ay!

2008-10-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

In the last week that I was away from the blog world....

Travel:
I discovered in the airport, on the Jet weighing scale that I had 100 kgs of luggage(travelers = me, Button, Husband and Mom-in-law). A good 40 kgs excess. Realised I would be bankrupt (given stock market situation or not) if I paid the actual amount. So gave Oscar winning performance to Jet airways man-at-counter about coming from the US of A and how hot India was and how Jet's service standards seemed to have improved since my last trip with them :) Well, it is not false, except that we returned over 2 years ago. And after all time IS a relative factor and necessity the mother of improvisation :)

In the flight, when Button cried before take off, 3 male stewards and 1 female air hostess rushed towards us, stood around me and insisted I feed him. While after six tequila shots I may be tempted to loosen a button or two, I wasn't planning to breastfeed for in-flight entertainment. Finally it took my irate husband to point out that they needed to fasten their seat belts and that our baby was 'our' concern. Phew!

Home
Yippee... am back home! To my lovely little home that overlooks the sea and the Worli-Bandra sea link. To my maid who has it in her nature to fight with me everyday. To my cook, who hopefully shall get the sack soon for putting 'dal' in salt instead of the other way round. To my 'apartment mommy society' (and there are already 6 of us with babies born this year). To my bedroom with its lovely white bed lamp. And best of all, back to life with husband. We are a family now :)

Button is settling down. We are trying to get him to sleep in his crib. But he gets up twice in the night(atleast) for feeds. So its tough. Am planning to persist with it as most books advise separate sleeping arrangements from month 3 itself. Also, I'd like to roll about in my bed for a change :)

Birthday
And I turned the lovely age of 29 on the 10th. Had a quiet b'day. Button wore ONLY new clothes from morn to evening. I got a slew of gifts from husband in his usual thoughtful and innovative manner. Good food from m-i-l completed the day. Next year (I have promised myself) I shall get smashed :)

Leaving on a jet plane...

2008-10-04T03:45:00.000-07:00

Buried under mountains of clothes to pack... never realized there'd be SO MUCH to do before a less-than-two-hours flight back home to Bombay! Work seems to have doubled as compared to my trip from Bombay to here.

And to see my completely grown-up parents behave like kids with their sad faces at Button's departure, refusing to let me hold him except during b/feeding sessions.

And the streams of last minute visitors coming in to see the baby. (Didn't they know I was here in the last 3 whole months?)

And his vaccination yesterday (and fever to deal with)

But yippee... am glad am going back home..in time for my b'day... Bombay watch out for us :)

ps: Any Bombayites/non-Bombayites if you can suggest a full time/part time maid/nanny, I shall be eternally grateful and promise to buy you a drink/coffee/or anything else... gentleman's word.

Sayanora Kalpakkam... shall blog from Bombay in a few days, once I settle in.

Meanwhile, Button turned 4 months old today.
* He hates rolling over.
* Maybe its my imagination, but he seems to recognize his name and the word "fan".
* Loves to admire his hands and feet! (For narcissistic tendencies, his mom is to be blamed!)
* Hates to be wrapped up for the night.
* Chews his mittens with a vengeance.
* Gurgles, coos and sometimes says 'da'.
* He sings with me when I sing (offtune) his lullaby for the night(and no, its NOT my overactive imagination, I swear he really croons!)
* Is taller and chubbier and cuter than ever :)

Award season.....

2008-09-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

I always knew I am brilliant, but receiving a 'Brilliant' award had me falling on my knees and thanking my lucky stars (well, almost!). I am happy to accept the Brilliant Weblog awards from Dinky's owner who thinks that I "manage the balance of convention and adventure and record it well!"

I take great joy in awarding the following people -
* KarSub for being the one who got away!
* Ms.Bhatta whose writing reminds me of radio shows and childhood book-swapping days.
* Nutty for almost being me a few years earlier and for the honesty and humour in her posts.
* Munchkin's mom for allowing me to keep my sanity intact by showing me the way!
* Priyanka for her cheer and bubbly spunk and her visible love for A.
* Lavs for being a Harry Potter fan!
* Margarita for ranking Al's performance in 'The Godfather' as her fave. You win instant approval from me gal!

The rules are -
1. When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of who has given it to you, and link them back
2. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or even more) that you find brilliant in their content or design.
3. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with 'Brilliant Weblog'
4. Show a picture of those who awarded you and those you give the prize (optional).
5. And then we pass it on!

Oh and I made my first forever-best-blogfriend... and I can't wait to flaunt my award and my new found kinship. Here's to Cubby's mom who thanked me for "just being around". Thanx Abha. Your blog is fun and I look forward to lots of posts on life and cubby.

I am thrilled to award it to....
$ R @ ITW for being down-to-earth, helpful and good fun.
$ Nutty for getting under my skin. Someday we should meet gal!
$ Munchkin's mom just for being at the same place under the sun.
$ Parul for reminding me to take motherhood lightly and enjoy it.
$ Gayatree for being my soul sistah!
$ Priyanka as much for her enjoyment of travel (which brings me joy) as for her place in the fellowship of motherhood!

Go on! Spread the cheer :)

Abject Apologies...

2008-09-25T03:44:00.000-07:00

My baby...

I did not mean to drop my mobile phone on your head. Am contrite. Truly sorry. Your sobbing (as against 'crying') broke my heart. But what humbled me even more was the fact that you wanted "me" to wipe away your tears and comfort you, even though I was the one who had hurt you. I guess it is true that child IS the father of man. I learnt from you today. Never again, I promise to be careful and keep my clumsiness in check. May the bump go away soon.

The Week that was...

2008-09-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Tidbits from the last week -

M-i-L visit: Button and I (and the husband) went to Chennai for a 4 day visit. My dear m-i-l had done up the house, gotten some new plumbing done and fixed an extra AC. Also being the ultimately-resourceful person that she is, she had arranged a cradle for the li'l one too. She rocks! We had a lovely time there, with Button really rising up to the occasion and not troubling me at all. Button got tonnes of clothes. He is now the proud owner of 13 onesies/sailor suits, 19 jablas, 14 Tees and 8 pairs of shorts. Also one track suit(!!) Enough to clothe a mini infant-army.

The husband and I went to lunch one day at a place called 'Cholayil Sanjeevanam' run by the Medimix group offering health food. However, on the day we went, we were served Onam special lunch. Great food. Really small helpings though (I felt like a meanie having asked for re-serves of the 'Erusseri' a record 11 times!) Bad service. But the food is super. The restaurant is in Nungambakkam, opp the ICICI bank.

Shopping: Bought lots of books for Button. Baby center says he should be read aloud to. Had a blast at Landmark picking up Fairy Tales for him (No, I don't believe in racial under/over tones blah) Twas' lovely trying to remember the much-treasured stories of childhood. Could almost remember the words in the books that I used to read out to my sister. Don't get me wrong, am not trying to be elitist, but I was surprised at the kind of crowd at Landmark (based on the kind of tamil used and the clothes) Pleasantly surprised actually, that all sections of the society seem to appreciate books and toys.

ITW: I finally connected to a really lovely person through the blogworld and 'aye yumm luvving eet' :) R from ITW and I had a medium-sized chat with Tejas and Ojas providing lovely background sounds with their sweet-voiced-mommy demands! Thanks R. Couldn't manage to go to the shop this time, but my mom would check it out this weekend.

Button's latest:
* He has begun to demand 'godi' all the time, demanding to be held, walked around and swung around.
* He had begun to watch trees and crows and cows avidly. He kept gurgling at a calf drinking water from a pot at our gate and then threw a crying fit the moment the calf mooed :) Amusing!
* Rolls over and then yells for attention! Is not able to roll back to position yet.
* Plays around during feeding sessions, irrespective of bottle or breast. Its quite a task getting him to feed properly.
* Gurgles in different ways and blows spit bubbles incessantly. Also clasps his hands in different positions depending on his mood.
* Has now started to lick everything in sight.. my mom's mangalsutra, my dad's poonal, buttons on my clothes (wait a minute, button licking buttons eh?!) his own clothes, top-to-toe on his hands during his bathtime.. sigh!

The old and the New!

2008-09-06T03:09:00.001-07:00

My dear grandad is 92 years old. He has had an account in SBI for ages. My dad recently retired and therefore my family would be shifting from Kalpakkam to Chennai. My grandad decided not to shift his (pension) account to another branch in Chennai (he fails to understand core banking completely) and grandiosely announced his plans to use the ATM instead. He applied for the card and then these were his wonderful reactions to the card!

My grandad's reaction to the plastic -
1. He read the card guide cover to cover - thrice.
2. He refused to tear the card from the welcome letter (until I did it during his afternoon siesta, and got yelled at for it!)
3. He showed the card proudly to every visitor to our house in the last one week, and also called his daughters and grandchildren to announce that he now owns an ATM card.
4. He refused to open the 'secret' PIN code because it is secret!
5. Once cajoled to tear open the PIN intimation, he refuses to show the numbers to anyone and refuses to entertain any suggestions to change the printed PIN.
6. He used the ATM card for the first time today and took the card to the temple for a puja (a la a new car!) before he went to the Bank.
7. He has a brand new folder to store the receipts of each ATM transaction, already labelled and filed with his papers.
8. The bank manager gave my granddad an umbrella for being the oldest customer in their clientele to have applied for an ATM card (the other 80years+ pensioners refusing even the computerized pass book)

Please tell me how many of the above apply to you :)