Blast from the Past: My B School years

I was tempted to blog about my childhood in Kalpakkam and its innocence, and then dismissed the idea (I anyway blog about my kids, and their innocence.. why more?!)

I wondered if I should blog about a holiday.... yet again? That idea met with an early end too.

Memories of food I'd tasted in Israel and Scotland and Bangladesh? Nah! That isn't a blast from the past... I will probably walk down that road again.

My married life? Hey, its still a journey that is lovely and continuing and satisfying and exciting!

Then what? A thought occurred to me... what about my days in B School? I haven't blogged about that period. Not because it is a state secret, just never got around to doing it. It is that phase of my life where I tasted utter freedom, complete recklessness, abysmal despair, sleepless nights, yielded to temptation, resisted temptation, let go of ideals, formed new ones, hated my parents, loved my parents, then hated them again, and loved them all over, flirted with atheism... tried my first whiskey and loved it, my first prawn and hated it, my first cigarette and felt guilty about it... but most importantly, learnt to believe in the power of judgement. The power of youth and the beginning of adulthood.

X pressions 2001

When I joined B school in 2000, I was surprised by almost everything. Although brought up to embrace every situation whole-heartedly, I got a severe culture shock. I was brought up in Kalpakkam, a small township, much like a larger version of a fauji cantonment. I excelled in most extra-curricular activities, was the blue-eyed girl of my school and home and did well at academics too. In my undergrad days in a small girls college, I continued to be a star. The then, B School happened!

B-school is a great leveler! You realize you may be a star, but there are several brighter stars in the galaxy and several less luminous ones too. I heard my first hindi gaali there (my first Tamil one too!) and actually heard the "f" word being used for the first time (yeah, I was THAT sheltered). Although I had lived in a hostel before, it wasn't a place where men could freely walk in and out, or little green b@stards either( in-house reference to the horrible green insects that infests east India in July-Aug, also called LGBs!) I learnt that merely reading your text-books isn't enough, it is practical application that is important (learnt it even better during my corporate stint!). Learnt to use the computer and the magic of email and chat rooms. In 2000, 'Hotmail' was a big deal... remember? And an email host called 'mailcity', I think. Was totally stunned by how easily couples formed, loved, fought, broke-up and made up!

Made some of my dearest friends there. There is something about living with a bunch of dynamic young men and women that lets you be friends in spite of several philosophical differences. Also the struggle and reward of hard work. The pleasure of impromptu trips. The sin of midnight maggi. The walks in the rain. The dance parties (my first dance of course, though clubbing remained my second fave activity to do during weekends for the next 5 years!)

It took me several years after B school to realize what was the greatest learning from those years... apart from learning to sow my wild oats... it was not merely the freedom (I always had it), it was the ability to take a call, make a judgment and most importantly believe in the power of your own conviction.

My first b school b'day cake

With friends at Konark

My first Fab India purchase, and my first year room 

On a dare!

Fancy dressing!

Giving in to being the guinea pig!

Like Bryan Adams sang, "Those were the best days of my life". :) 

Singapore Soujourn II: Must-see Tourist spots

Prologue: This part will focus on touristy attractions and our experiences there. Some information on timings and other details may be given.

Warning: Long Read!

Singapore Zoo (http://www.zoo.com.sg/)

If you are visiting from India, then plan to spend a whole day at the zoo with your family. Not only is the range mind-boggling, but the seeming ease with which crowds are managed and animals are showcased leaves one wondering why as a country of a billion with such diverse wildlife, we can’t manage one half decent zoo?! The website offers an opportunity to eat breakfast with Orangutans, but if you are seeking full paisa vasool, skip it. Button had the opportunity to watch the Orangutans swing away to glory as he ate his lunch, their enclosure is nearby anyway.

Maptime

We used the excellent metro and bus connections to reach the zoo at about 9.30. Had a blast until closure going from animal to animal and returning to enjoy the ones we LOVED. (For button, the lions, I loved the giraffe and the husband the monitor lizard..ugh!) I recommend the Park Hopper pass which allows you to explore the Zoo, the Night Safari and the Jurong Bird Park beating the (sometimes) LONG queues for tickets. Be sure to ask for maps at the entrance.

Hookah or Bottle?!

Apart from the animals, there are lovely shows. We watched the Elephant show and thoroughly enjoyed Ganpati bappa spraying us with water. Lunch for vegetarians could be difficult (the restaurant prata set is “yuck” according to Button, and I concur). Lovely lovely fruit platter though. For a pregnant and hot me, the fruits were even tastier than for others. (Don’t tell, but I ate 2 platters AND a prata set). Lots of cooling options in terms of drinks. Check out the bottle in the pic for a cool drink you can buy in a cooler bottle that Button insisted we wash and bring back home. 

I recommend the tram for the post lunch languid period. Just a hint of breeze and a bit of sitting down does wonders to get your energy back. Of course, carry lots of water and use the clean loos. J Another thing that caught my eye was the abundance of dustbins all over the zoo. And Indians CAN behave themselves (contrary to what one may believe) Most of the Indians took pains to throw their trash into the trash cans. Even nicer was the nod to recycling… as you walk out of the zoo after a tiring but lovely day, you can choose to return your map to be recycled (hear the trees cheering?). I recommend skipping the gift shop, unless you like the regular touristy keepsakes.

The Night Safari (http://www.nightsafari.com.sg/)

A minute before he slept!

Heading from the zoo to the safari with a 4 year old could be a bit too much (as we found out). In fact unless you’ve bought the park-hopper, I’d recommend skipping the night safari, especially if you are on a short holiday and/or a tight budget and/or travelling with a 3yrs or younger child. The shops that line the entrance of the night safari may excite older kids, especially the spooky shop which has several glow-in-the-dark items from full skeletons to small spider key chains. The safari opens only at 7 in the evening with usually LONG lines. The show is similar to the ones at the zoo, only the large tourist groups hog most good seats. And the actual experience after an entire day at the zoo becomes too animal-y. What was Button’s reaction? He slept a minute into the tram ride! Soundly. Through the LONG journey to ECP at the other end of S’pore.

Jurong Bird Park (http://www.birdpark.com.sg/)

A lovely experience. Again marketed brilliantly. Knowing that most visitors would’ve visited the zoo and night safari before the bird park, Jurong has been designed so colorfully that it is indeed refreshing. The repetition factor of same elements of map, tram, shows etc. gets subsumed by the sheer brilliance of rainbow colors. Don’t miss photo ops at the entrance with the lovely parrot family (macaques, lovebirds and many others) and the opportunity to feed loris (lovebirds) at the lori feeding station. I personally LOVED the owl exhibit (always have loved them, and the snowy owl – Harry Potter factor). Button enjoyed feeding the birds and bravely walked with us through the ‘birds of prey’ exhibit (boys will be boys!). The veg options here are slightly tastier, but the souvenir shop significantly better.

Sentosa Island

There are several attractions in Sentosa that could keep you occupied for days on end. A 2 day trip to Sentosa (overnight there) would be sufficient to cover most of the key spots, provided your travel partner and you are able to agree on the key spots :) 

Underwater World (http://www.underwaterworld.com.sg/)

The Jellyfish Exhibit

I highly recommend the Underwater World, yes, even over Universal(though that may win favor due to better marketing and character based rides). Button had a big blast at the Underwater with touch-pool exhibits and the travelator through the water tunnel.  We were reminded that he is indeed a small kid when he burst out crying seeing sharks swim all around him in the tunnel! Cute J He refused to touch the sting ray until (ugh) I had to brave my fears and touch them myself. Child IS the father of man… I hopefully will not cringe the next time I have to do it!

The dolphin show is a MUST.  They invite a member of the audience to participate in a sea-lion interactive act. Me being an enthu-cutlet, put up my hand and to my horror I was called. Now, before I tell you how scary it was, I must confess that am not very touchy-feely with animals of any sort. No dogs, cats or furry creatures, no snakes or any slimy creature, no turtle or any hard backed ones, not even fish really call for a petting session. In fact I don’t particularly ask to even hold human babies! That is as touchy as I am (though am constantly up for a hug or cuddles or hand-holding the husband!) So with a sinking feeling, again to let my son know how brave I am (umm) and how one should not let go of any opportunity (what opportunity, yikes!) I bravely walked up to the sea lion. To my horror, the act in the show consists of massaging the sea lion. Praying that the sea lion did not knock me into the pool behind, infested with dolphins, I tentatively touched the sea lion. It refused to do its trick until I gave up and massaged it thoroughly in disgust. Yes, I scrubbed my hands raw and sanitized it with an entire bottle before I even drank a can of Coke!

Universal Studios(http://www.universalstudios.com/index.php)

At a Souvenir shop in Universal

If your kid is like mine, skip it. He refused to sit in ANY ride except the MILDEST ones – Madagascar and Desert Safari. He clung to me even in the non-rocking seats of the 4D Shrek show. Refused to go on any other ride. Howled through the Spielberg Movie experience and beamed when we walked out 3 hours after we walked in! We wasted a ton of money on those tickets. We splurged on express passes, which I recommend with small children as queues ARE quite long. For braver small kids, the Jurassic park rides and Transponders show may also be VFM. My son refused to even go near the lion (Alex) mascot! And this is despite his being able to mouth EVERY line of all 3 Madagascar movies. For veg food, in the ‘Mummy’ section, a decent Indian meal is available in the food area near the Safari. Loved the opportunity to browse in the souvenir shops… an art almost perfected, not at the level of Disneyland, where I yielded and splurged madly, but almost!

Cable Car, Butterfly Park and others

Angry Birds 'golu'

The cable car ride is a lovely experience. Time it around sunset, so you get to see the views in daylight one way and the lights on the return. Button loved looking at large cruise ships from up above as well as “flying” over S’pore (the cars are glass all around). The Angry Birds display in the shop at the last stop on the Cable Car ride is worth a dekho. The starbucks outside the boarding point for the cable car has wonderful blueberry-raisin muffins. Amongst the best I’ve tasted. 

The last Butterfly standing!

The Butterfly park should be visited only in the mornings – afternoon. We went in at 5.30 p.m. and the butterflies, tired of flitting around, had already retired for the night… we ended up paying about 30 Sing dollars for some dried insect displays. Otherwise, the Merlion statue and beach are worth visiting if you have time. There were multiple other attractions like a war memorial, museum and laser shows which we were sure Button would not enjoy and therefore skipped. 

We stayed at the Movenpick, which was reasonably good. The buses in Sentosa take you all over provided you know how to read a map and bus routes. We encountered multiple tourists who would stop and ask us how to get from points A to B, when route maps are put up in every bus stop!

The concluding post will come up shortly on some off-the-beaten track things to do with kids and some more impressions of the city. And what we missed out and why!

Singapore Sojourn – I: My Impressions of the City

Singapore Sojourn – I: My Impressions of the City

Prologue: A 3 part series on my recent trip to Singapore. The series will focus on my personal experiences and things to do with a 4 year old boy as well.

To celebrate Button’s 4^th b’day and to try foreign shores before Twinkle arrived, we planned a trip to Singapore in May this year for a week. We stayed with our friends for a week (yes, there are friends like these even in today’s time and age!) and needless to say had a blast. The entire trip was planned with Button in mind, his eating and sleep schedule, things that would interest him and finally, a couple of shopping points for me to buy a few items that I wanted.

Koi Pond - Changi

We flew Air India (I do not recommend the airline). The turbulence, terrible service and mosquitoes ensured that we had no peace until we landed. Changi airport was a whiff of fresh air in multiple ways. Button loved the travelator and insisted on his dad running beside him as he whizzed past! The loos of course need a special mention. As a 5 month pregnant woman, loos are almost as important as food and vitamins! You can imagine after umm.. holding on for over 8 hours (since I left home), the airport loos were not just good, but clean enough to eat off. I must say that the state of most loos, including the zoo and sentosa island loos were almost as good. Button especially loved the koi ponds and I strongly recommend spending some time exploring the place. 

Our friends were waiting to receive us. As luck would have it, our cab driver was Chinese and spoke NO English. Our friends had recently moved in and were not fully clued into their neighborhood. Button and I of course enjoyed the neighborhood darshan till we figured our way out. The area (East Coast Parkway) area (and possibly most of Singapore) is actually pretty easy to figure out with clear signages and grid construction. ECP area is lovely with the condos having several easily accessible shopping and eating areas, and lovely play areas for kids. Needless to say Button was what in Tamizh we refer to as “avutthu vitta kazhudai” (A donkey let loose).

Play area IKEA

Our first stop the very next afternoon was IKEA. I recommend the play area in IKEA for kids between 3 and 8. They have a huge ball pit, a movie area, several slides and climbing apparatus. They have several trained staff overlooking the rambunctious kids. What’s wonderful (for hygiene OCDing parents like me) is that they store away the footwear of the child, put on a plastic apron over the clothes and sanitize the child’s hands before the kid enters. What’s wonderful also (for over-imaginative, safety OCDind parents like my husband) is that they do not let the parents enter, they also take (mandatorily) a phone number for the parents (and do call them) and only have a specific number of kids in the play area at any given time! My husband and I had a wonderful time browsing and shopping. Button had a blast playing in the ball pit, after a while he missed us and got the attendant to call P. He came with us in the second half of our expedition (and seems to have inherited the retail browsing gene from me).

We ate out… lots of Indian places (of course), but sadly not many local Veg options, except if you choose Indian again of course. I enjoyed walking across the road with a shopping cart, buying stuff and walking back again. I was struck by how healthy Singaporeans are (barely saw anyone even in size L, let alone XL and XXL! What a contrast from my year in NJ!) I realized that Singaporeans walk SO MUCH every day, from home to bus stop, to metro stations, to shopping malls, inside shopping malls… no wonder they do not put on weight.

I also enjoyed crossing the roads… no don’t laugh… after Chennai, where I have the unenviable nightmarish job of needing to cross the busy busy Arcot Road to hail an auto to drop my son off to school, it was a pleasure skipping across the road with him and watching ALL vehicles halt. I felt like God, did it many times to feel good! Also, any cab you want you can hail, and go a few metres or a few hundred kilometers, no questions asked, as long as you pay the fare. And there is the meter. I know Bombayites will laugh at this, but hey, try living in Chennai AND talking to an Auto driver EVERY SINGLE effing day.

Offered a seat

Button and I had a blast vying for the ‘upstairs driver seat’ in the double-decker buses. No matter how old I am, the pleasure of rushing to the front of the upstairs portion of a double decker bus will never abate. The bus stops are clean (of course) but what is cooler are iPhone apps that give you info on when the next preferred bus would arrive at your stop. I tested the app (what did you expect?) and the systematic part of me did cartwheels when the bus arrived on DOT, each time, every time. Magic I tell you, sheer magic.

Courtesy courtesy courtesy

The railway stations are certainly cleaner than their ‘western’ counterparts in the US or UK, but definitely crowded in peak time. People are so courteous that I felt terrible if I even laughed too loudly. My son was thrilled that everytime he entered a train, somebody would give him a seat even if the train was packed. He began to believe he was important and we were amused when he asked someone to vacate their seat in a ride at Universal J Its surreal to see 4 year olds there walk through the Metro turnstile swiping their cards like an adult and boarding the train. What’s more, their well behaved ways actually is cute and makes you wonder what is it their parents feed them. Actually, the entire city thrives on courtesy. When there are posters advocating courteous behavior on buses and metros, you know it has seeped into the collective and individual conscious of the denizens of S'pore. 

The zoo, Sentosa and other experiences follow in the next two parts.

Buttonisms: Rich Boy Poor Boy & other Stories

Prologue: Button’s development as a 4 year old has been fascinating. Especially now that he is the older brother to little Twinkle. He has blossomed to being a court jester, an entertainer par excellence, however ONLY reserved for those closest to him. Otherwise, there is a Great Wall of Shyness around him, which hopefully will melt away as he gets older. In my endeavor to build some pensieves of Button’s wonderful repartees, I list some below. Smile away!

As a mom I sometimes take the easy way out and occasionally (read every alternate day!) threaten Button with withdrawal of privileges (his dearer-than-life McQueen dinky cars collection) as a consequence to unacceptable behavior. I warn him twice and then when he is ready to misbehave the third time my dialogue usually is “Button, I am warning you for the third time. If you do not listen, I will give away the McQueen vehicles to a poor child. You are too spoilt, hence this behavior”.

A couple of days ago, I was just about to get to the third warning when his lovely voice pipes up “Amma, if you give my McQueen vehicles to a poor child, the poor boy will be a rich boy and I will be a poor boy”

Can’t help being amused eh? Needless to say, threats are not going to work much in this household again. Just when I thought I had a parenting style that works, there it flies out of the window again. Constantly innovating to keep ahead of Button!

Button’s latest fancy is ‘Dora the Explorer’. I had the occasion to observe him defending his choice to a friend of his at a b’day party. The friend said “Only girls watch Dora the Explorer. You should not watch Dora. You should watch Chhota Bheem and Doraemon”.

I was beaming with pride when Button said “I love Dora. I like it. Why should I not watch it? My amma says Dora is fun.”

The joy of hearing the conviction in his voice put a spring in my step. If there are two things I’d like to inculcate in my son, it is belief in his judgment and to be well mannered. And it seems like some seeds have been sown somewhere!

When I went to the hospital to deliver Twinkle, in a small voice he asked me “Amma will it hurt you?”

I said “It will Button, but the Doctors will give me some medicine to make it better and I will soon call you to let you know when you can visit your baby brother or sister.”

He gave me lots of grief with his reply “Amma, I ONLY want a baby sister. If it is a baby brother, let us give him to someone else”

You can imagine how hard I prayed through the 14 hour labour to have a girl! And well, Twinkle is now his favorite person in the world, even usurping his beloved dad! I think a separate post on their bonding is worth it!

P (the husband) and I were putting away the liquor bottles at home (my parents were going to shift in a few days later!) In passing, I remarked to Button (who was being a little helper), “Button, one day you are going to grow up, go clubbing and drinking with your girlfriend”.

Pat comes the reply “When will I grow up amma?”

Never my son, not if I can help it J But I better get used to the fact that you ARE growing up!

Gearing up for Ganpati bappa’s arrival a few months ago, I was in quiz mode.

“Button, which ummachi (God) has an elephant head?”

And Button replied “Lightning McQueen”

Stumped! Yes, we love McQueen like God! Listening Disney?

A last one for the road….

We were driving past P’s college one day (IIT Madras) and I pointed it out to him (as I had the past several times). Asked him, “Button, what is the name of appa’s college?”

I was greeted by silence. So I prompted him…”I…I….I”

And came the reply “iPhone?”

And another one bites the dust J Steve Jobs, are you grinning?

The saga of Button's Big Job!

Warning: Not for squeamish stomachs - its the story of how Button finally learnt to use the loo by himself. Its a longish chronicle, for I had a TOUGH struggle. And the need to exult now :) Especially moms, read on.

Sometimes moms have it all wrong... as I did. Ever since Button turned 1, I have been under pressure to begin potty training him. In perfect hindsight I realize the pressure was foisted on my shoulders by my own head. In the apartment complex I lived in at Bombay, 6 kids were born within 8 months of each other. 3 potty trained by 1,  and 2 more by the time they hit 18 months. Guess who was still happy in diapers? I did everything the others did -  I repeatedly held him over the loo for several minutes each time, several times a day, singing, making 'shhh shh' noises, until my neighbors downstairs started grinning at me in the elevator one day saying 'shhh shhh' 

Fast forward to holiday in Mashobra. A wee lad, 2 years old, just a few months senior to Button, asks his mom politely... "Mamma, potty karna hai, Kahin ruko." And inwardly cringing I make eyes at Button, happy in diapers. On that 'successful' mom's advice, tried reading potty training books to him. Button enjoyed the stories, but never got the message :( 

After the move to Chennai, things got from bad to worse (the pressure I mean). For one, Button was a grand old 2 1/2 years old. An age where in Chennai kids do not speak a word of English or a rhyme or recite numbers, but have been using the loo by themselves for over 1 year, can eat by themselves, quote Rajnikanth fluently, sing the latest Surya songs and express their displeasure at the 'low' spice levels of a Pizza Hut Mexican Wave pizza. Ulp, I really hid myself in my burrow. I hit upon random ideas from trying to frighten him about bug bears (named 'Pikachu') to trying to cousel him via his playschool teacher. All in vain :( 

2 months before he turned 4, I had nightmares of him being chased out of his 'prestigious' school in Chennai for not announcing his intentions of using the toilet. Button was super calm though - he never uses the loo at school (not for anything!). Why you ask me? Oh, the floors are wet. And he doesn't like crowds in the loo. (Okay, Penn station loo - you are probably never going to meet Button). The nightmares continued with visions of a newborn announcing her intentions of using the loo and her older brother 'still' asking for diapers.  Bribery followed - a trip to Singapore in exchange for one, just ONE loo usage. Did it work? Absolutely not. Button knew we would take him to Singapore anyway!

Now I have to mentioned that interestingly books and websites talk about potty training in a certain order - peeing first (by 1), potty training next (by 2) and finally night training (by 3). Now Button's order was quite mixed up (he didn't read the books right)... he night trained himself before he turned 1 and learnt to do the 'small job' before he turned 18 months old. By the time he was '2', we consoled ourselves that he WAS potty trained... in the sense, he would 'ask' for the diapers at the right time, but never agree to use the loo. We tried letting him squat, sit, stand, basically do anything in the bathroom... he did everything but what we wanted. Sigh. 

Cutting back to the present, the Singapore trip resulted in several positive changes in Button (including announcing to his dad that he should "somehow" move to Singapore in 20 days!) but not what we wanted. All our threats to stop diapers resulted in his stubborn refusal to use the loo for 5-6 days at a time, after which we always capitulated. He never ever had an accident. He would just, umm, 'bottle-up' until we let him use a diaper.  These 5-6 days of deadlock were periods of high stress and constant potty talk, which also bored and angered us (and Button) in turns. Usually, these high stress periods were followed up with terrible attempts at bribing - "Button, mamma will buy out Hamleys for you if you do your job in the loo" (usually answered with "Mamma, but you anyway buy me anything I ask for". Drat! or "I have everything. I don't want anything". Huh?) 

Then came the app and DVD phase. Potty training apps are SO many and so varied in number online. Didja know? From Elmo to dinosaurs to Dora to dogs & cats, we tried many DVDs and Apps that were enjoyed for their graphics and music, but FAILED to convey the 'moral of the story' to Button. 

Finally, a fortnight ago, I was exasperated. The husband was traveling (nothing new there). No driver(also nothing new). And down to 1 diaper. No energy to go to buy another packet. No home-delivery by any pharmacy or shop either. In a moment of desperation (or maybe rare inspiration?) I sat Button down, explained that he was over 4 and that I had no intentions of buying any more diapers after this one was used. I asked him if he was okay with it and to my surprise, he actually said that he was okay with it. In utter shock I asked him if he was ready to use the loo, and he said "Mamma I will try. But only if you are happy, not angry. And if you buy me a blue Mater (a tow-truck from 'Cars 2')". Ecstatic, I hugged him, promised him WHATEVER he wanted and happily put on his last diaper. 

He kept his word. Like magic, he just switched to using the loo. Without any accidents whatsoever. Like IT companies say.. seamlessly! Almost as if all the past struggles were games designed to be played by parents, for parents. As if all the threats, tears, bribes, speeches, lectures, demos and what-not were a figment of our imagination. Just magic I tell you. Can't tell you how relieved and thrilled and happy I am (and chastised too!) 

Yes, my house has been a diaper free zone for 2 weeks now (and will be so for 12 more weeks!) 

Lesson learnt? Talk to the kid. LISTEN.  They are too smart to be swayed by empty threats or heavy bribes. At 4, Button is practically an adult... okay, at least a teenager. His words are to be valued. Accepted. And bug bears and threats do not work (at least with Button). 

Other lessons? Oh, when he DOES become a teenager, I am going to have a really tough time! Maybe threats will work then? :) 

Meanwhile, life is happy. For now! 

The 'June' hare ran past!

Its true that time runs! It was just the 1st of June y'day and it is already July. A very eventful June at that.....

1. The Lion City: A holiday to Singapore - A longer post follows on that.

2. Adieu Grandma: Rather sad news at my beloved paati's demise. 

She was the most sophisticated person I've known in my life... always smiling, with even her critique masked in positivity, with always a good word about everyone, a way with people and words and most of all, with a soft well-modulated voice (that sadly, not one of her grandchildren seems to have inherited!) She hated fussing about herself and probably, it was just the sheer indignity of being poked and prodded in her last days at the hospital that dimmed her otherwise brimming desire to live fully.

What I admired most about her was her ability to live in the present fully. No angst, no depressive dark thoughts about the past, never brooding about the "what-if" syndrome that ails most of us today and most of all, a genuine happiness to enjoy the small things in life. Although she was confined mostly to home in her last few years, she diligently followed the news, always had an opinion about politics, always cast her vote, managed to learn the inside news (read gossip) on the Carnatic Sabha circuit, inquired about every small event in her kids and grandkids' loves and lives and tasted food like a gourmand (even if it was just the humble kanji).

If you are a lover of 'Gone With the Wind' you'd know my reference of an Indian Ellen. Her genuine belief in me, despite hurting her with words, actions and failures, and her optimism for a better tomorrow always, despite terrible circumstances today, is what I strive to leave as a legacy for my children. (Hope springs eternal, et al!) I miss you paati, but your 'pazhamozhis' and loving spirit and most of all, the music lives on!

3. 4 years of Button: Button has officially moved on from toddler-hood to being a little boy. Everything he says and does screams "GROWING UP". While his baby days are already a faint memory, his current cutisms are quite something. His latest addiction is to coin his own words and phrases.  

Inside the elevator: "I'd like to press a number. I want to press the FOLLECTING number. The FOLLECTING number is 8" (No, I have NO clue what the word means!)

At the traffic signal: "And now, I am going to press the RITALEY button and the vehicles will start going faster"  


Looking at a pregnant woman's bump: "In a few minutes, the baby will HATCH A KICK" 
(Still laughing at this!)

(More Buttonisms later!)

4. Back to School: In happier news, the little Button joined LKG and that meant UNIFORMS! No running around any more trying to find a Marty t-shirt or McQueen shorts or any other muse of the moment. Phew!

Wake up, open cupboard, pick out a pair of green shorts, checked green shirt, white socks and black shoes and presto! we are ready for school. He loves being a big boy now and refers to the pre-KG kids as 'babies' already! Hopefully he'll get over his distaste for writing and manage to color within the lines (as the school expects) at least once this year :)

5. The 7-year itch: It seems sometimes that I got married only y'day and at other times as if I was born married..... the calendar however says its been 7 years. I was talking to this 24 year old girl (umm, woman) the other day, and full of conviction, she said she did not believe in arranged marriages, wanted to live her life fully, travel the world and did not trust arranged(I prefer 'engineered') marriages could ensure the right life-partner for her.

It could've been me talking!

However, 7 years have proven that indeed you could meet the 'right' man, the loving husband, the most exciting travel companion, the silliest clown of your dreams, the loyal eater of your cooking experiments, the fiery debator, the perfect hand-holder, the best father you could hope your kids could have and most of all, the Yash Chopra-esque other half of your jigsaw in an engineered marriage set up. Maybe I am older, wiser or just pure sentimental (blame it on my new raspberry tea!) but all I hope is that many more years of fun follow (Note to husband: If you are reading, some more diamonds would be nice!).

July promises to bring a couple more trips - to Hyd and B'lore this time!
Note to self: Work on the Singapore holiday write-up before you forget the little moments. 

Button: 4 years of happiness!

Button is almost 4 - today being his star b'day! Many personality dimensions have changed dramatically in the last 1 year - Is it school? Is it Chennai? Is it the grandparents and indulgent family? Is it reduced time from me? Is it his observation and thinking? Maybe all of the above. 

On a good note, Button's memory is amazing. He is still able to recollect small details of our life in Bombay (which was a good 2 years ago). Also remind us where we went wrong at the most importune moment! He would make a good lawyer as he is very articulate, quite logical in his arguments, has a superb memory, but unfortunately has a HOT temper! 


Button's temper is fierce - emerges before you think it would, and vanishes in a minute. My in-laws say it reminds them of my husband when he was a child, my parents say it is my trait to the day! The question is how to tackle it? How to ensure that hitting or screaming when things don't go his way are not good attributes? 

On the physical side, he is still catching up on some milestones like riding a cycle or hopping.  But we suspect it is his inclination or rather dis-inclination to not do them, than really a developmental issue :) 


He is growing up much too fast - he croons to his cars every night, uses the iPad and iPhone like a pro (even downloads updates or new apps), talks like a teenager, likes his own space ("Mom, please close the door behind you, and do not disturb me, for 5 minutes at least... please?") and understands books far beyond his age (is onto 6+  books).

He is still my baby - gets scared at the mention of bugbears(!!!),  prefers to co-sleep with us, wants a cuddle and kiss morning, noon and night, likes mashed rice with dal and ghee and most of all, has a baby-lisp especially when he speaks in Tamil.

This year is going to be a big year in terms of growth for him - from wearing uniforms for the first time to many other changes that we have in store for him. Seeing him cope and grow will be a wonderful experience in life for us (as if he isn't already a great teacher !). Here's wishing you a lovely 4th b'day - hope you like your McQueen bag and Dr.Seuss books we got for you. Am sure you'll love the Singapore trip we have lined up next week.