I Wonder Why, I Wonder How...

Baby can walk!

2012-02-02T10:34:00.000-06:00

With outstretched hands G stands at one end of the living room as she waddles towards him. Both of them grinning ear to ear. It is a first! yay! Baby can walk! Awesome!!!!!!!

That baby is me! I am now able to walk short distances without limping. Of course the limp comes back once the knee does a warning jerk, tightness or a shot of pain. The point is I can walk.

And it was funny when I walked out of the room, looked at G and told him, "Stand across the room and see me." G could not stop laughing. The comedian in him took over and he immediately acted like I was the 11 month old Babs trying to walk to him. He kept moving behind as I neared him and we were near tearing.

Love
An almost walking ART

Trying to Rest at Home

2012-01-27T10:09:00.000-06:00

I have been really sick before but I never took the time off to stay home. I was always back at work. I felt that if I stayed at home, I would be cleaning, organizing, sorting, and doing things I did not get done before. The last time I did that was in Feb of 2008 when I had flu and I could not move a limb. And now again, I am at home spending time on the couch. I cannot move and do any cleaning even I wanted to. The knee hurts, so I am sitting with heat pad to the back, cold pack on my knees, water bottles, remote controls, phone and laptop with lotsa pillows and blankets. I really hope not to move though I did sweep the house clean. I could not bear to see my hair taking over the floor space.

At the same time, I am sitting at home feeling super guilty that I have sent my daughter who has a cold to school because I really cannot take care of her the way I am right now. Mentally too, I am exhausted and I am really short with her. The guilt is immense but if I recover soon, then maybe I can take care of her better. I don't think that with a broken knee I can do much of parenting other than asking her to fetch me things (which she does beautifully) or to sit down and be a good girl. So I have convinced myself that this is good.

Mommy guilt sucks the most in the world. If only there was a way I could meditate the whole thing away...how nice would that be?

Since I am at home, doing nothing but sitting on my ass...I might actually post today...random things. I really want to sort the pics from our SFO/LA/Vegas trip. Hopefully I do that and get them online for family and make the album I wanted to do...lets see...

Love
ART

Em-Brace it!

2012-01-26T10:23:00.003-06:00

Most of the time when someone gets hurt they always have a good story, or at least a story. Well, I am obviously different. I have hurt my knee really bad, for the first time in my life, and I do not know how or when it happened. I am in pain, unable to walk and still no story. I rake through my brain, and nope, none. I twisted it and have no recollection of when! Well, that is taking being Clumsy to a new height...a "forgetful clumsy."

The only background I can see to the story is that I went for a boot camp on Friday, but that was two days before the pain started. Maybe I had strained some ligament after the boot camp and when I jumped out of our very high bed I twisted it. But again, no real solid story, just a surmise because Saturday and Sunday I was perfectly fine with the normal post-boot camp thigh pain which is painful but fun (you know it!).

At the end of it, I am sitting with a possible LCL tear (hopefully that is what this is) and a prayer hoping that it wont get any more complicated. I am wearing a brace, taking thrice as much time to get chores done, getting no chores done, feeling super sorry for myself and crying at random things (yes I am super emo like that), expecting my 4 year old to take care of me (yep, dependent too), limping, screaming while trying to make turns, unable to sleep comfortably, icing the swelling....and more...I can go on but I am going to stop before everyone starts hating a me, the cribber...but you get the point, one torn knee and life goes downward.

Anyways, I took Babs to Beauty & Beast on Sunday and she loved it!

Love
ART

My throat is Sat

2012-01-11T11:39:00.002-06:00

I would love for Babs to speak at least 2 languages. I can fluently 4 languages and communicate in 4 others. The advantages for that need not be re-written by me. Since she started school after summer this year, the task is getting more and more difficult for me and G. We try to remind her to talk to us in Hindi but she switches back with no difficulty to English and almost always has to be threatened to translate it for us. There are times when G and I play the silent game where we do not respond to her until she switches language. All this is painful, really.

During New Year's Eve party, Babs and her friend R were screaming their lungs out, dancing, running around, and in general tired. When I sat down to take a break, Babs ran to my lap, relaxed on me and told me in a hoarse voice, "amma, my throat has sat." All of us burst out laughing. She was literally translating, "Mera gala bait gaya," into English.

*******************************************************************

While we were in San Francisco for the year end we visited Berkeley a lot. All of us awwed and oohed at the awesome campus that nature had made for the university. Mountains on one side and the bay on the other. Wow! So Babs kept asking what it was, and I told her about the awesome school that Berkeley is...

When we got back to town, I had to get Babs re-updated to school life and I started helping her with spelling and simple addition. While I was folding laundry, she was busy doing her 6 sums, all single digit addition, and it was taking her a lot of time. Suddenly she looked up and asked me, "Amma, which one should I go to? Berkeley or Harvard?"

Me: What? Why would you ask that?

Babs: You tell me that if I study well, I will go to a good school right?

Me: Have you added 1+6 yet?

Ya, I have spoken to her about Harvard, and I threaten her from time to time that if she makes it to a community college then ma, and pa ain't funding her...but I am really hoping that I will not be a parent who is hovering over her child all the time...but who knows...lets see...

*******************************************************************

On January 8th, we took Babs to a full length feature (animated) film in a theater. It was a gamble. I was worried that she will talk too much (which she did), and I was worried that I might disturb other patrons (which I did not). I was also worried that I might not enjoy the movie (which I did) and worried that I will never do this again (I am so going to...Beauty and the Beast...here we come!).

The movie was Tintin. I picked up some Quesadilla for her and a lemonade and I made her have her dinner while watching the movie. She had questions from time to time because she did not know who was who and what was what but she whispered most of the time. She was always concerned for Snowy and did not care much for others...

At the end of the movie, she tells me, "I love Tintin."

Ten minutes into the drive home, "Amma tell me about the movie, I did not understand anything."

Two days after the movie, G and Babs were doing Captain Haddock and Red Rackham style sword fight using her thunder sticks!

I know, she got it...in 5 years she will also memorize all Tintin books like the rest of us! :) Cannot wait to re-read them with her.

*********************************************************************

Right now her favorite songs are: Lukka Chupi from RDB,Aadat Se Majboor from Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. She is always singing one of these songs. I had forced her to learn Yamunai Aatrile but she prefers to sing Lukka Chupi. I am the one singing boy part...and I love to jam with her...although my singing credentials are totally suspect...I love singing with her.

In the last 6 months, she has learnt to color within the lines and also know her alphabets in written form too. She can count a bit and can try and add...though 1+6 to her as E=mc^2 is to me. We are making progress but my hectic work schedule last year completely took me off working with her on anything.

Before I sign off, here is her singing Yamunai Aatrile! Please pardon her pronunciation, though now she has become better at it.

Love,

Your Amma

Run down of 2011

2011-12-14T10:21:00.000-06:00

Like every year...here are the highlights of my 2011...I had written this down before I left to California but had no time to edit it or make sure I got everything right while I was running from city to city. So a delayed year end culminatory post...

January was fun. Babs got to spend a lot of time with her cousin who spent a couple of weeks with us. We were at the mall everyday playing in the play area.
February was the coldest month of the year. We had five snow days and spent a whole week indoors. I had to get creative with keeping Babs busy.
We did Holi for the first time with Babs in a big way. She had a great time with her best friend and us with her parents and I am beginning to enjoy getting colored up. Then of course I had another birthday. A Birthday where I thought I was a year older than I was...that was a pleasant surprise.
April was a trip to Chattanooga to meet the parents and NC to meet with the older bro. We rented a cabin, stayed in the Smokies and drove all the way to the coast to meet up with the other brother and did all that in one week. It was super fun.
May we spent a weekend in Austin after a long time with some very close friends. It was fun catching up and seeing the kids bond.
I was trying my best to save myself from the heat and kept low through the summer. Babs and I did attempt at playing some tennis on good days but most of the days we were stuck indoors doing whatevers.
In July we celebrated the fireworks with her cousins and friends atop our office parking lot enjoying the view and fun.
August, was the fun month with the trip to NJ/NY and made tons of memories there.
September had busy weekends
October, the Babs and G both turned a year older and we celebrated it on the same day one after the other until I was completely exhausted and the word Party made me gag.
November saw us taking the amazing trip to Oklahoma...
December made me re-bond with a very good friend whom I thought I had lost. And of course the fun trip to SFO, LA and Vegas before we welcomed the New Years!

The year 2011 was definitely not as busy as the other years but it saw a new Babs. A grown up girl who had started to sleep in her own room. A girl who was open to trying out Mac & Cheese, or chicken nuggets. A Babs who still wanted to go back home or eat Dal and Rice. A Babs who had her first Ballet Recital, started to write, started to read...A Babs who was my very own 4 year old, with a personality that I am beginning to love, to enjoy and get frustrated with too...Looking for many more new discoveries in the New Year!

Happy 2012 everyone!

Love

ART

Posting for December 2011

2011-12-14T09:59:00.000-06:00

As I browsed through the Washington Post page I realized how soonly we are approaching the end of 2011. Every thing everywhere seems to be winding down to "The Best of..." It freaked me out that 2011 came and left so soon. I will not add 2011 to my best year in my life but then looking back, it was not that bad at all. A few ups and downs but majority of it was flat and then I realized that I was happy in 2011. So, I sat down to wonder which year as being my saddest? I could not. Every year had it's share of sucky points and then its share of happy points. My mind randomly tried to blank out every sucky point and only place the bright ones above. I was happy. I assured myself I was a happy person.

Obviously, it does not end there...brain has this funny thing, it starts rummaging through past once it realizes that there was more than what met the eye...I remembered 1995...It was the year I had to choose college. Those few days was very stressful, for reasons I do not wish to write. I remembered 2008, the year where both G and Babs took amazing turns at making me spend most of the year in the hospital. I remembered 2005...again, cannot write why but I it was bad...I clearly remembered giving my 10th boards in 1993 and praying every day for 2 months that I pass in Hindi. It was stressful. Oh! How I hated Hindi and to think that now I speak it every breathing moment...well almost...

Awesomely, as I browsed through sadness, I still continued to remember only the happy times. Like the time we moved to Chennai in 1989 and meeting my BFF's K & S the same year. The year 2000 when I moved to a different country. 2005...when we got married in a raining Chennai...The year 2010 when I visited friends in EU. The year 2007 when my daughter was born. The year 1995, when I chose the college and I was happy with it...in spite of every thing. The years from 1993-1995 when K and I re-discovered friendship. The year 1993 when N and I became friends. The year 1992 when Ramachandran Sir and I met for the first time...and so much more

Well ya...more things to write about happy memories because I stopped after listing only a handful...a few sad ones too but then what is life without salt and pepper? So here is to all of us for chewing down another year like sugarcane and spitting out the bad images. Happy 2012 and hopefully more fun memories than bad ones to make.

Love
ART

2011-12-02T16:35:00.001-06:00

My first ever project in my first year in Architecture school was to design a Children’s bedroom. We were given a room dimension and we had to add architectural as well as interior elements to make the room as kid friendly as possible. I chose to design a bed for the child that was built-in but slightly raised off the ground making it cozy while being adventurous. I don’t remember many other details now, fifteen years later, but I remember one thing. I wanted to add fluorescent stars and a moon stuck on the ceiling which would glow in the night when the lights are off. Seriously this was fifteen plus years ago when getting your hands on anything fluorescent in India was impossible. I loved that idea, to feel like you are sleeping under the sky. I don’t know if Babs will ever know what that is like, the feeling, the soft wind wiping your face now and then, the rays of the sun literally waking you up, ethereal, but I wanted to simulate that feel…when I was in school.

Yesterday as I lay in the room staring at the room with Babs tugging on my ear it came back to me. I saw the ceilings lit up, with stars. Stars that took over every surface in the room, small and big, constellation, it was the night sky in her room. My first year in architecture school came back to me. I went through college life in the few minutes I lay there waiting for her to drift away. Simple things in life trigger powerful emotions and hidden away memories, like an odd tune, or a color, a smell and this time for me it was seeing the stars on the ceiling. Something I had wanted to do so long ago and I had completely forgotten about it in the mad rush to make a life. It made me happy that at least one of my ideas have happened and my daughter was enjoying it, with me.

Unlike my fluorescent stars These stars came out a turtle that projected stars in your room in the dark. I had used it for her first year and somehow it had gotten hidden behind the amount of toys that she had collected. Randomly a couple of weeks ago Babs had pulled it out her box and she wanted to know what it was. Together we played with it, changing colors, projecting it inside the comforter to have all the stars within our hands and then out into the room. It was fun and now has become a part of our daily "lying down with Babs before she sleeps" routine. I am loving it.

Love

Starry ART

What do you say?

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

Babs and I napped two hours this past Saturday. We were tired and crashed. G came to wake us up and get us ready for a movie we were supposed to go. He sat on the bed and started scratching (kujli-ing) Babs back softly...

Babs: Papa, aap kya kehna hai abhi? (What do you have to say now?)
G: (Super confused) Main kuch kehna hai?! (I have to say something?)
Babs: Thank you
G: What?! Why?
B: Because main aapko kujli karne diya (Because I let you scratch my back)

G stopped scratching her and we have been bugging her about it ever since.

Love
ART

Shopping Spree

2011-11-28T09:47:00.001-06:00

Sometimes when you have a well planned out weekend you end up doing nothing and then the vice-versa also happens. This is the story of a weekend that I had nothing lined up for but got so busy that I barely got time to sleep enough until I crashed and took a 2 hour nap on Saturday.

Like the past three years, this year also I went midnight shopping with my friend. We walked the mall, shopped a little, and got out of there before I started sleeping on the mall benches. It was fun, and if any of my friends are interested, I will do it again next year :) I like going to the mall alone, at least once a year. Most of the time Babs is with me but this one trip I am on my own, walking in and out, not answering to questions or explaining to her that soon I will get her something and she has to be patient. It was fun.

We got to spend a lot of relaxing time with our very close friends. We did a sleep over and I also got to do Zumba. G tried and gave up in 2 mins. I took Babs with me to a nail place for the first time in my/her life. I got a pedicure while she got her nails painted. I cannot explain in words how happy that made her. She sat still, kept quite, and then she showed it around to anyone who cared to see it.

Well Babs also did something that is annoyingly cute. On Thursday night when I went shopping I did not buy much and what little I bought, I bought one pull over for Babs. So I was overcome by guilt. Saturday noon after seeing Santa do his thing in the Galleria I took Babs around to get her some tee's and a pair of boots. We tried on a few in many stores and she rejected all of them until she saw these pair of black (desi school) shoes with a little bit of raise in the back. Do not mistake it for a heel, just a raise, but she called it heels. She wore it around, it made a slight stomping noise. She loved it. She walked trying to make a stomping noise and she loved it because it made stomping noises like my shoes do. She walked around the store "stomp, stomp, stomp." "I like it," she declared and that is what we took home with us. Since then she has not parted a single moment from those shoes and wears them with any outfit. She figures out a way to make it work. She wore pink tights, pink and animal print pull over and black shoes...when I mentioned it to her that it looks un-matchy, she picked up her black purse and said, "Now it works right amma?" And it did! The rest of the evening at the party we went to, she was ready to display her nails and shoes. I have a diva, I don't know what to do! Freaking out!

I am enjoying this growing up phase of Babs. As annoying as it is to take her to the mall where she gets antsy about shopping for me. She does not like for me to wear sleeveless, unless she is also wearing the same, she is opinionated about my make up, hair style, outfit, etc...it is all cute. I enjoy her comments, her active involvement in my life. We share silly secrets that mostly consist of, "I love you and I love everyone in this world," or the random, "I love you amma," while she is almost asleep. I like the way she reaches for my ear or G's in her sleep and the way she has learnt to hold me tight with her arms and feet as she sleeps. I hold her tight on my chest and rock her to sleep sometimes because I am afraid that in a few years she might not want to do that or she might be heavy and I cannot do that. I love to run my hands through her hair or to do stuff on her hair. She likes to comb my hair (or anyone's) and do things she calls decoration. We play games, do things, I love all this. And I really don't want a thing to change.

See, this is what happens all the time. I start to say something about myself and then it becomes all about her. Even when G and I have date nights, we start out telling ourselves, only adult talk and in five minutes we are talking about Babs. She fills every part of our life leaving no gaps. We love her and are always thinking of her...which I know is the case with most parents...parenthood is awesome!

Looking forward to Christmas now!

Love
ART

500th Post

2011-11-23T09:41:00.001-06:00

I really do not have much to say for a milestone post! It took me 6 years to get here. I started my first post on 11/8/2005 and here I am trying to write my 500th. I was not sure that I will ever get here. I was not sure how committed I was to writing. My interest in writing about movies, and then about some random personal stuff started off in a flurry of excitement and like all things that are new this also got old. Life took priority over my blog. I had a baby, then I had some health issues to tackle at home, I was frustrated with life and had nothing fun or interesting to share, I stopped blogging and then started off again. I just want to give myself a pat in the back for having kept up with the commitment.

I have made a few friends through the blog-world and I have made a couple of non-friends too, but whatever it was, the fun was there and I felt alive. Every time I had a cool idea or something fun happened all I thought about was, "I have to blog this." About 10% of them actually made it here because I am sometimes lazy and forget to get to things on time.

I am still a Desi movie addict, I watch all movies, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Since marrying G my Tamil movie watching has gone down considerable because he does not speak Tamil and I have to watch them on my own. I do not have very much "own" time any more. So I watch like 4-5 Tamil movies a year. Hindi movies on the other hand, I watch a lot of them. We love it. But, I do not blog about them any more. I just do not find the time. That led to the demise of my Movie blog which I have now combined with this one. I do try to write about the ones that really make a mark on me but not a review on everyone of them.

It is Thanksgiving weekend but we have very few plans made. The next four days are going to be super interesting. I cannot wait to spend a lot of quality time with my little one and G (when he is not working).

Happy Thanksgiving and have a Great Long Weekend!!!

Love
ART

I got a Troll

2011-11-21T15:32:00.001-06:00

I used to write the blog hoping people will flock by the millions to read it. Slowly, it dawned on me that I am very non-controversial, write friendly stuff, and then slowly made this a memoir for my daughter sprinkled with some personal opinions here and there from time to time. I never thought I write anything that would make me seem pompous, stupid, pretentious. Never. Which explains why I have never been commented to rudely or been told interesting rude comments. I have rarely had an argument in the blogsphere. So anyways, here is the thought process I went through when I received the hate comment:

Obviously this is one SOB. Delete.
Ah! well, let it be...how does this one person's opinion affect me over the two others who bothered to comment?
Truth be told, I should be bothered...someone bothered to comment.
Bloody Biatch, how dare he/she/it say something so mean to me, especially when I do not know you.
Ah well, coward.
But the coward reads my blog, all readers (of the handpicked few) still need to be mentioned.
I cannot be a coward and not publish this person's comment. I should.
The coward decided to comment, which means the cowards hates me. As Bree in Desperate Housewives pointed it out, hate is not the opposite of Love, indifference is, Hate means that you still care...so the coward cares enough to express dislike in the most tasteless way ever.
Coward is a coward, if I have time, will deal with it later.
I am famous, someone hates me!

So here I am, dealing with the coward, being true to myself and publishing the hate comment. So you, coward, hiding behind anonymous, come out, lets pull a chair, and drink some coffee discussing why you hate me so much. Who knows, might help you vent and me see your point.

"I have read many of ur posts simply because I find it interesting in a way like , wow what pretentious post has this woman written today .You are a showoff & a pretentious shallow woman who has bricks for her brain matter

I have read many posts by women who are so interesting and bright .You are not one of them in fact ur pretty irritating"

And here is me thanking you dear Troll, for showing me that you care.

Love

ART

Android-Iphone War

2011-11-15T11:26:00.000-06:00

I have owned an iphone for 2.5 years. I love it. Granted, it has it's share of issues, mainly dropped calls, but I still love it. I have never had issues with any thing major, just your regular phone woes. I am obviously not writing this blog to praise my iphone and show my love for it.

My point is, that every time I have used my phone in front of an Android user I have heard one of the following or a combination of a few:

Iphone sucks
Iphone is so overrated
my (insert name of any Android phone) is so cool, so much cooler than your phone
My phone is faster than Iphone
It has all these wonderful apps
They never drop calls
I will do anything but buy an Iphone
Look at a person who is yet to get a smart phone and say, "I beg you, please never buy an Iphone, or else I will have to rethink our friendship."
Sprint/T-Mobile/Verizon has better plans than AT&T (How is this iphone's fault?)
etc. etc. add your own.

I wonder why it is so important for Android users to advertise their phone? I have rarely stood up and fought a war for my phone even when someone is bashing my phone. It is awesome, I know it, the world knows it, I have never heard of a story where someone stood out in front of an Android store for a month to be the first to get their latest release. Never.

I do not even think Android users can keep track of their own Galaxy, HTC, HTC Evo, Universe, Spaceship phones with intergalactic names coming out every other day. In spite of all this, I never say a mean thing about your phone ever. Never!

Yet, why do the Android users deem it necessary to defame Apple? While I am in awe of your super apps and cool stuff, why can't you appreciate the same in my phone? Obviously there are somethings my phone can do better than yours and vice versa, so lets celebrate each other's phone. Let's stop this boring discussion of how your phone is better than mine. Let our phone's not represent our ego. Let us be friend's who use our phones to communicate and not to compete with. Let's live and let live.

Love

ART

Branded - Are We?

2011-11-09T16:13:00.000-06:00

I am not talking about you or you or you. This is about me. Strictly me and my feeling bad about not understanding the world around me. This is about what I think of brand names. I am not saying that I do not own anything that is branded, I do, but I mostly did not buy it because it was branded but more because I thought it was cute or it was something that made me happy and not others jealous.

I look at someone wearing a CC and go oooh! or someone wearing a those huge monogrammed Coach purses and I am like..."ok, brand name check." But then there are these other cooler brands, say like Kate Spade for example, unless someone comes close and hugs me and picks my purse up and reads, it is not going to matter, no one is ever going to know. Even Coach for that matter, a non-monogrammed purse might as well have been bought for $15 from Sam Moon's. Nobody will notice another black leather purse. Then why are we so brand crazy? I am pretty sure I do not have many friends who will know a purse or a shoe by season and by designer (Other than a Loub mais oui!). And for those couple of people to recognize the pain and effort you have put into acquiring that branded object...is it worth it?

I always wondered why someone should shell out a lot of money for a purse that only they will know as branded or drop around hints to show how well kept they are. Of course, having spending money is a good enough reason but other than that, why? Please explain, I know people who have spent $200 for a plain Jane Louboutin and then later complain about money issues for making car or house payments. That is something beyond my comprehension.

Oh and then the shoes, I mean, unless I make you take your shoes off or you tell me, how on earth am I going to see what you are wearing and how does it matter?

So why dear darlings? What does it matter? Would you look down at me because I am scoring deals and check slickdeals every other day? Would it make you sick that sometimes I pick up my jacket or a pull over from Sam's club? Would it make it bad that I get shoes from online websites that have a kickass deal? Oooh...and would it make you cringe if I told you the cost of something you just complimented on? If you answered yes to any one of the above questions, then, we are just not meant to be. It was nice knowing you though.

Love
ART

Oklahoma! Ooklaahomaaa!

2011-11-09T14:42:00.000-06:00

Randomly a couple of our friends and we decided to go on a road trip. It was decided over G's birthday night and in two days a cabin was booked, van rented and tentative plans were made. We were going to see Fall colors in Oklahoma!

The three and half hour ride had us singing songs, playing games and lots of laughs. The biggest giggle and shriek's came from us as we discovered each and every nook of the cabin we had rented. Of course we did get lost and took a lot of time to find it but it was worth the effort. The best part was that there were not many insects and all with it being Fall. I could walk around the property in the night under the stars without fear of having a cicada jump at me.

We grilled, we campfired, we hot-tubbed, we hiked a bit, we lazed a lot, cooked and ate a lot, played a lot, saw a lot of TV, and best of all, saw some of the most beautiful Fall colors. The drive through the Talamina State Park was amazing, even more amazing was observing two stick insects make out. First time I ever saw a stick insect (they are ugly!). We also tried to rescue a car that had gone off the path but then had to let the pro's do it.

We collected pine cones, dumped them in the water and saw the shrink, dried them to see them bloom again. Babs and I played silly games, we did each other's hair, cuddled a lot, Saw Aladin twice, ate on the swing watching nature sway around us. We also had our morning breakfast watching deers as they ran by and our cups of coffee while sitting on the deck contemplating life. The peacefulness of the place and the beauty of the nature was a definite battery charger for all of us.

We learned the Babs could do a sad slow walk, that she could say "booty-butt" and giggle away to glory. We made games out of "booty-butt" and of course we played rummy, and came second only to G, I hope it makes my FIL proud of me. We also sang Chappa Chappa Charka while we sat and saw the flames crackle on our bonfire.

Such vacations are good reminders as to why we need to take a break and do nothing and relax. When we got back, we were all sad but once again the drive back into Texas was amazing. I could not take my eyes off the horizon, such beautiful colors, and the paints the sky threw at us was welcoming. It was all good and then the week started back for us...

Babs, you and I constantly cuddled on this trip. I smothered you and hopefully made up for all my bad moods in the past few work-stress induced weeks. Hopefully we will get to do this and more in the coming weeks once again.

Love
Amma

Sleep Time

2011-10-25T12:42:00.000-05:00

Babs has been sleeping by herself since she turned three. But there is a caveat, she almost always wakes up 4-5 hours after she has gone to bed and stomps her way to our room. Some days, this is a smooth process, she walks and comes, I take her to pee, and she is back in our bed and snoring. Then there are these other days, when she cries from her room, begging for us to come and fetch her. We play games, where I will walk to our door and wait for her, etc, etc, depending on how much she is screaming or tearing out her lungs.

The other day she stomps in, freaks me out because she is all giggly next to my face. We both go to the restroom, and when we come back she picks up the water bottle, gives it to her dad, drinks some, gives it to me before climbing on the bed. Once snuggled next to us, she starts singing this random song...

G, Babs and S uncle used to listen to this a lot during World Cup for the sake of entertainment and she randomly remembered it that night and sang it.

Well after that we had a laugh fest and neither of us slept for quite a while. She is our entertainment!

Love
Amma

Fasting & Karva Chauth

2011-10-17T12:50:00.000-05:00

I love to fast. I have fasted for stuff I need, for my husband's health, for daughter's health (and soon for some brains), for mom and dad, well...you get the picture. I am a steadfast faster. I never fasted just a single day, it was always any random number I picked and would do anywhere between 3 Thursdays to 12 Wednesdays. All random. The thing is, I believe in bribing God first and then Thanking later...doing both ensures higher success rate.

Then you ask why not Karva Chauth? Because I am not sure of what I am supposed to do, I do not know the customs. While I set the ground rules for my fastings, I do not know the age old traditions set by generations past because it is not something I grew up with. Of course, like majority of the South Indians none of us knew about this auspicious day until Simran fasted for Raj in DDLJ.

My friends who religiously fasted and still made it to Babs Party, I love you even more today. Not a spot of food or water and you were standing there with your wards chasing them around with a smile on your face...thank you for that.

Hope all of you and yours had a great Karva Chauth and now eagerly awaiting the arrival of Deepavali!

I love October...first it is Dasara, then Babs and G's Birthday, then Deepavali, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year. It is as if October paves way for a whole world of Celebrations.

Love
ART

Jobs & The Coloring Paper

2011-10-10T13:40:00.002-05:00

Babs, I want you to remember this. Look back and laugh, with me...

I left Babs in the restroom and ran out to watch Anderson Cooper's coverage on Steve Jobs the day after he died. G and I were discussing it when Babs hollered for me. I went into the bathroom to check on her when she told me, "Amma, sit here," pointing to the tub edge.

"Babs, finish pooping and then call me. Amma and Papa are seeing something on TV," I said as I was still trying to hear in on the TV.
"Please amma, please?" she pleaded and I gave in instructing G to record the show, which I am yet to see...so here is the conversation...

Babs: What are you seeing on TV?
Me: Oh it's a documentary on this guy.
Babs: Which guy?
Me: Steve Jobs. (I try to help her pronounce the name).
Babs: Who is he?
Me: You know, he is a great guy. The laptops, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and all that we use, are his inventions.
Babs: Ya, and also the coloring paper.
Me: What?
Babs: He also invented the coloring paper, right?
Me: Why? No.
Babs: I am sure he did, I like coloring paper a lot too. (She loves my iPhone and iPod)
Me: No Babs.
Babs: Amma, tell me, how did he invent the coloring paper?
Me: Babs, finish pooping and call me...

I leave the bathroom unable to hold back laughter, bursting in giggles I narrate the story to G who also started laughing loudly...we had a fill of fun!

And for that, I thank you Babs! You always make the most dull moment in life funny too...

Love
Amma

PS: Babs you are going to be 4 in a week. I think it is high time you started pooping without company for entertainment and small talk.

Jobs!

2011-10-06T09:43:00.001-05:00

I am proud to have lived in the age of great people like Jobs, Gates, and Buffet.

It is sad to be around when he died, but lives on as an inspiration for me and mostly importantly my daughter. When she is old enough, she will hear me talk about him to her.

Most of the times death of people outside family rarely affects me. Jobs did. I could not sleep at night and there is a cloud on my head. Somehow feel that the technology world is now lacking a main player. The revolutionary visionary was now gone leaving behind a void. Not sure anyone can fill his shoes.

Thanks for making the iPhone and iPod. Thanks for making me carry all my music no matter where I was, in the smallest of my purses. Thanks for keeping my daughter entertained with the iPhone while I was having a bath or cooking. Thanks for making the world competitive enough for us to have a choice, a voice.

RIP. You will be sorely missed.

Love
ART

Skater-Girls

2011-10-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

It was her classmate's birthday that they were celebrating in an ice skating rink. Babs walked around the rink and initially rejected the idea of going on the ice. After watching her friends slip and slide she looked at me and asked, "Amma, will you also go inside with me?" I shrugged. What did I have to loose? A tooth or a finger maybe or better still find a muscle that I never knew existed. So we rented the skates.

I have not been in a rink for ever and even otherwise I can barely keep myself standing. So I walk in gingerly. Babs goes ahead, turns around and stretches her hand out to me. "Come Amma, hold me, I will be your teacher and you listen to me." With those words, she started directing my every move on the ice. We sang rhymes, songs, walked around slowly, and had a great time. She fell at least 4 times but refused my help when I gave her a hand.

After 2.5 rounds around the rink, her legs were giving away and I held her hand and we skated together when the two of us landed on the ice. We laughed so hard, got up, hugged and continued our skating/walking. It was definitely one of the best times of my life. My daughter, my teacher and my love...who would believe that she had only been to 4 skate classes till then.

Love

ART

Google

2011-09-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

This is completely random. So random that it deserved it's own specialty post. The post is about the titular hero and the host of this blog...Google.

I really do not know when it started but it was around the time I finished my Master's that I first heard the name Google. Today it is there in everyone's life. Words like search, research, look, find have been replaced by the word Google...I know, this is nothing new, all of you have also felt its impact...but Google. I love you Google. I have no single reason as to why but I fell in love with you hard. If anyone said anything wrong about you, I feel the need to defend you with my minimal tech knowledge. If you are in trouble, I want to help (not sure how...but remember it is the thought that counts). I can spend hours engulfed by your love and warmth. blah blah blah...

Everything you touch turn gold and if it is already gold then it becomes platinum...for example you tube. Since you started buying up companies I felt the strong urge to recommend that you also buy Wikipedia. That website is my second love. How nice it would be if the two of you were joined in union? Search and info! I know you like wiki, because every time I google something your first results are always from Wiki. Wiki, keeps me and the hubby dearest entertained for hours. We Wiki while we are watching TV to get info on actors, directors, places, history and what not. We are always pulling out phones to check what is what...

And speaking of phones...that is the one place I betrayed you. I went the Apple route. I love my Iphone in spite of all its shortcomings and do not see myself with a G phone in the nearest future...forgive me. Not a lovers spat.

And continuing on Google...you should have bought Groupon. Well, there is still Living Social that is left for you to bid on. But if you do buy Living Social, make some changes to their App. It sucks right now.

Sorry about Google Wave and +. I really tried hard to like it but had to take your failure as mine and it hurt when people hurled abuses at it. Just so I should not feel like an outsider I also said a couple of mean things about +. Please don't mind ok.

Anyways, I can go on and on because it is love and love has no bounds. I wish to end this before it starts sounding like I had a tall glass of margarita before I sat down to type! Long Live Google. And May I Love You for Days and Years ahead.

Love
ART

Changing Plans

2011-09-28T11:13:00.000-05:00

The past two weekends have been nightmarishly busy...in a good way.

First it was the weekend that had three festivals going on in different parts of Dallas. I of course wanted to get in on all three of them. The plan was set. Friday night, Babs BFF sleep over with her parents at our house. The sleepover was preceded by a visit to Plano Balloon festival. Saturday was reserved for Oktoberfest and Sunday was for Grapefest. I was all set.

The house was kinda sorted out. Babs napped and ready on Friday evening and finally all three of us were ready to head out...when the rains came, and boy did they come. It rained non-stop the rest of the evening and night. I quickly changed from my white tee to something of a darker shade blouse and went and met our friends for dinner. The sleepover happened and the kids were beyond explanation happy. I convinced myself that I can still do Balloon Fest on Sat and Grapefest on Sunday. I had been to Oktober many times so was not sad on missing it.

Next day, after spending most of the time lazing around Babs decided that she wanted to go with her BFF to Grapefest. I begged but to no avail. So we were at Grapefest. Babs had a great time there. She was with our friend who took them to do dancing, play with a cow's udder and milk some, and last but not the least they did grape stomping. So cute! Late night before we retired home and all of us were tired to our bones.

Sunday started with Babs ice skating class and me taking her home quickly to get her ready for the Balloon fest I was going with my BFF and Babs friend. Well, we got there only to realize that it had been cancelled due to storms coming from the North. I wanted to scream my lungs out. I was looking forward to this one and I was so disappointed. Instead we went to a park, sat by the pond, fed Babs and her friend dinner while they chatted and saw the ducks around. They played till the storm actually started throwing some water on us and then we drove home in a hail storm. I was lucky to get a parking spot in a gas station before I drove home. Babs sat behind me a little scared before falling asleep...

And there, the only thing I got to do was the Grapefest. Next year, if I am still in Dallas...hopefully I will make it to the Balloonfest and skip on Grape and Oktober because I have already to been to these two now.

Love
ART

Dessert-ed

2011-09-14T09:46:00.001-05:00

I am trying to diet...the operative word is TRYING. You won't see a thing different in me because I have not lost an ounce anywhere...if at all there have been some additions...well, whatever...ok, anyways...conversation in our house after dinners...

September 12, 2011

A: I need to go to a grocery store...
G: Lets go to Tom Thumb..
A: Why? We can stop at Albertsons, we just passed it.
G: Lets get the Chocolate Mousse Cake again.

So we pick it up, Babs has gone to bed. We both look at each other with an evil smile. I go to the kitchen, serve us our slices. We are done eating in 2 minutes sharp. Then we contemplate to get more.

G: This cake is evil.
A: We need to destroy it.
G: Ya, otherwise we will be destroyed.
A: it is US vs Cake. And right now cake is winning.
G: Another piece must be had.

So off we have another slice and get more healthier in appearance.

**********************************************************

September 13, 2011

A: Are we having cake tonight again? You know that huge slice is still left.
G: No. Not two days in a row. (With the strictest face).
A: Really? (I make a sad face and then give up).

I get on a phone call. Talk for 45 minutes and walk out to join G watching TV.

A: So no cake?
G: Yes, but I made something else...go check the fridge and bring some. Must be cold enough now.
A: What the?

I go and check the fridge...my favorite coconut milk with banana dessert is sitting proudly on the fridge shelf...What the??? I thought we were dieting...but hell no! We ate the whole damn thing. Got very sleepy from the coconut milk and hit the bed real soon.

**********************************************************

At this rate...I am never going to loose any weight...anyways. Sorry Babs...no Fit Parents for you...

Love
ART

I and We (I-V)

2011-09-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

When I was in my undergrad I got to meet my first "I-We" person (henceforth known as I-V). When something went wrong with the idea it was a collective "we" that was used to apologize but God forbid something went right in a collective effort, it was the stand alone "I" that was used. I did not recognize this until the girl who became my BFF in college pointed it out to me. I was so naive that I did not pick up on the signals of the I-V traits.

Later I realized that in every group there is at least one person like that. One person who does not hesitate to steal the credit or share the blame. Just knowing about the existence does not make things easier for us now, or does it? The I-V person is typically fast to respond to secure their position. They make sure that they are credited for others ideas in a public gathering or otherwise. Trying to one-up on them will only make you look like a jealous person...And what is worse? Most of these I-V people think that it is normal to do that, and never really know they are doing it...more like kleptomaniacs only that they are stealing your work/effort/talent. So in a way, they are...well you know...

Oh! The fun thing is to get two I-V people in the same group...

Just wanted to write this out. It has been bothering me a while...if you have any suggestions on how to tackle them, do write back...

Coming Soon...a post on people who blame you for their mistakes and are always ready with the blame even before the mistake is pointed out...

Character Dheela...

2011-09-06T16:00:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine told me that I was raising a 15 year old and not a 3 year old. So true. Whenever I see Babs or talk to her we communicate like peers. She tells me things as they are and I do the same. We even argue on what I should wear. When I was a young girl my brother used to be my fashion police and I had to go through hoops to jump through his strictures. Now, I have my daughter...

Babs questions me why are you wearing such high heels? Are they not bad for your feet? If I cannot wear them, you cannot too. Change to sneakers...so nowadays when I go to pick her up from school, I quickly change into sneakers to avoid a fight.

There are so many embarrassing moments in the life of a parent...everyone who is a parent will attest to this but each time you come face to face with it, you are shocked and paralyzed...This long weekend we had gone to one of our friends house. Babs wanted to watch the song "Pappu Can''t Dance." My friend kindly obliged, another friend said, "Since we are taking requests, I want to see Character Dheela song." After Babs request was over my friend set about searching for Character Dheela when another friend jumped in and suggested which link to play...his main criteria was that it said HD. And so the song started...a few seconds in, Zarine Khan was replaced by a seductive Katrina...and the next thing we know...she is taking her blouse off and seducing someone on a table. I jumped, and turned Babs head and then tried to stand in front of her distracting her while my friend tried his best to find the ESC button.

Moving on...a day later in our house Babs sits with me on the couch and once again asks me, "Why did you laugh so much at our friend's house while watching the Character Dheela (which happens to be her favorite song right now) song?" I randomly talking about the weather outside and try to avoid the topic...Babs jumps back to the topic and asks me, "Was it because Katrina Aunty was removing her blouse?"

"Yes Babs," I said softly and let that be. Maybe I should have just said so before instead of making her wonder about it and figure it out...next time I will know better but for now we laughed our ass off...

Love you Babs

Amma

Sweat!

2011-08-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

Friend and I are standing near the door of an over crowded compartment in a NJ Transit train. We are heading back to NJ from NYC. Daughter is sitting comfortably in her stroller and chatting away with us. The compartment is crowded and the door is open. A/C is barely able to keep up with the crowd and heat inside so for those stuck at the door it is HOT.

A lady almost faints and is rushed into the compartment. I see the girl standing next to me dripping sweat on her legs and her tee is soaked. The man standing near us is dripping everywhere. I turn and look at my friend, he is dry. I see my self, I am dry. And then at Babs, she is moist but not too bad. My friend and I lock eyes and smile, "The Chennai effect," I say.

"We are prepared for all sorts of heat and humid," he says. We smile.

Idhu ellam sagajam appa (This is very common). And finally the train leaves and everyone's sigh brings some air around the cramped space.

Love
ART