Arbitrary Thoughts ...

Harmony Finally!

2011-03-06T23:24:00.001-08:00

As I am typing this post , I feel an icy calm in my mind. There were so many tasks pending from past few months and they have all been sorted out one after the other. To begin with, I said my final goodbye to our old home on Saturday. It’s been quiet a journey from getting it ready for sale and customers pouring in every weekend to have a look at it which meant zilch outings on weekends. The feeling was like getting a girl married off and the tension that parents go through until the last moment of handing her over to the guy.In our case we were already quiet apprehensive after the last incident where the party backed out after the initial agreement.This is the post about that incident in case you guys haven’t read it already .Thank God! all went well this time. Also I would like to self-congratulate ourselves at having managed to sell it for the price we expected...ahem...Let me take this opportunity to pat my hubby and myself on our backs!
Next was a kitty party which I kept putting off on an excuse that I would like to host it in my new home. It’s been an year after 13 ladies in our apartment got together and decided to socialise more by arranging kitty parties once in a month where each of us were supposed to take turns in hosting it. Initially we decided to treat everyone with a snack and drink but as the kitties progressed, so did the standard of food. It reached a point where full fledged lunch with regional speciality spread was being offered. As months passed by, each party got better than the best, so did the pressure of keeping up to it. Realisation dawned late that I shouldn't have put it off this long and finally I had no place to hide.After having shamelessly enjoyed all the parties it was time for my shot and I dialled my hot line. MY MOM came to my rescue and she wove her magic to save my face.Together we blanched,we boiled, we grounded,we fried, we stewed, we simmered and we pressure cooked with the steam coming off the cooker and our heads only to lay a very fine Kerala meal with the goodness of coconut oil and grated coconut!!!!! They all licked their fingers off and I am a Happy Lady with my kitty amount safely hidden in a place where my hubby can’t reach, else he may flick that to pay his car cleaner!!!

Juggling too many balls at a time

2010-12-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

New Year is round the corner and people are in a mood to party .So are we! Organising parties have always been a challenge for me and couple of other enthusiasts. It’s a great feeling when everything turns out as expected but equally lousy when things go wrong towards the end.
Planning it a month earlier gives us ample time to put things in order. It all kick starts with a “Hey! What plans for new year?” and we work our ass off to answer that question. It’s not that we are forced into it but people definitely know where to nudge when things need to be done. This time I had decided turn a deaf ear to that alluring question, considering the number of things going on in my life but the fanatic in me just cannot buy it. Well! Like you guys guessed, am already dragged into it, not sure how I’ll handle the pressure of moving to my new home and help a friend organise party for 100 odd people. Constantly I crib over the fact of never being able to say No to people especially friends even if it meant sacrificing my personal commitments .And right now I am talking about an enthusiast who has dug a grave for herself and expects me to join her soon. I so cannot help giving her company even if it means few weeks delay in moving to my new home. Crazy me! It’s been four months since our interior work started and things have been moving at a snail’s pace. Thanks to a bunch of lazy carpenters and to my dear architect friend who has no control over them owing to her soft nature. I really cannot blame her as it’s a tough job in view of the fact that her field is male dominated and it really takes a man to control these arrogant masons and carpenters. What had to be completed in 2 months got hauled indefinitely to God knows when? Nevertheless I am completely satisfied with the outcome and hopefully we should be able to move by the coming weekend provided, the theme walls are done and additional furniture delivered on time. So far the wood work, light fittings and plumbing are done .Couple more furniture were added which included Adi’s bed, study table and chair, bar unit , crockery unit and few other decorative stuff to our existing bloated list. I am not sure if we are imagining to have bought a mansion as opposed to a three bedroom flat.Only God can help us draw a line as we could not stop ourselves from buying a few more appliances which includes all that you can think off. “Guilt has seized me completely” would be an understatement.
Coming back to the organising part, I can already picture myself attending phone calls even in the loo. Co-ordinating is the key to organising and that means gluing our ears to the phone. Background work is always dirty especially fixing the caterer, arranging lights and sound, not to mention digging out games for kids, collecting raw materials for it, assigning people to do it and finally annoying them by constantly nagging thy to do it on time .Now you must be thinking how ridiculous of me to be taking up these things with one disabled kid and another overcharged kid to be cared for. Forgot to mention the most important part of getting the brat to do homework and study for tests amongs't all the other issues.But guys ,I love being busy and that’s what keeps me going especially when I am not out working my ass off for some industry.

Singapore Thailand vacation

2010-12-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling guilty of neglecting my blog for quite a while now. For the oblivious, we were on a vacation to Singapore and Thailand last month. After a brief stay in US exactly 9 years back, this was my first visit abroad after returning to India for good. It’s been on our cards for a while now, but our plans got adjourned due to various reasons which in itself deserves another post.
Let me begin with Singapore. It was 3 pm on 4th Oct when we landed in Singapore.As we got off the plane , it was drizzling outside and it felt like I landed in Kerala as the weather was warm and humid with a refreshing shower.A promising weather for a lovely vacation. There was a man in his early fourties waiting to receive us at the airport . He was part of the plan arranged by our travels. He chauffeured us to our hotel located in Little India. True to its name, that was the only place in Singapore which was a step behind the other areas in terms of cleanliness :p. You get a feel of being in Chennai as the area is populated with Tamil immigrants. If you don’t want to explore on other cuisines and stick to Indian especially Tamil cuisine, you are in the right place. Incidentally the streets were decorated with Diwali lighting and colors. I din’t miss the festivity of Diwali in India as Little India was even more pepped up with young people preparing for some cultural show in an empty ground.The streets were decorated with garlands, lights, colourful arches and lamps. After a brief refreshment at the hotel, we took a walk along the streets of Little India just to soak in the festive feel.
That night we were taken to the Night safari which is supposed to be the world’s first night time zoo. This zoo can be explored via tram and you get to see 8 geographical zones without much of a huff and puff. The open air zoo is dimly lit and it simulates the animals natural habitat. The visitors need not worry about being attacked by these animals as they are separated by natural barriers. There are cultural shows of which Creatures of the night show is an amazing spectacle being performed by the animals of the zoo. Hats off to the trainers who took years to train these creatures. Well! That was our first shot at Singapore and we were extremely tired and dozing on our way back to the hotel.
The next day after a sumptuous breakfast buffet, a van with 10 other tourists most of ‘em from mumbai were waiting for us to join ‘em. That meant interesting company for a city tour. It din’t take much time to get comfortable in each other’s company and soon we were enjoying places with ‘em. There was this couple in their early fifties who boasted about this being their 16th place abroad and how they loved travelling. The enthusiastic lady’s brag was a sure-fire entertainer. I guess with their kind of profile, I would do the same thing too.Instead of getting into details,I will leave you with some pics of the city.

By noon we headed off to Sentosa Island and guess who kept us company, none other than the boasting couple themselves. However Adi was a saviour as he kept them busy by asking about the places they visited and they were happy to have their fan ‘s undivided attention.
It was only an hour drive to sentosa island from our hotel .There were a series of attractions in this island which included Imbiah lookout, Fort Siloso ,Surrender Chamber wax museum, the Underwater World and Dolphin Show. The most mesmerising of all was the songs of the sea with a live cast, dramatic effects and pyrotechnics. Water jets, flame bursts, lasers and captivating music make this a one-of-a-kind entertainment spectacle that's fun for everyone .This is one performance that you won't want to miss.

An amazing day passed by and it was 9 P.M by the time we reached our hotel. Exhausted, we dived into our freshly made bed .We slept like babies only to find that we were too late for breakfast the next morning. Moreover the car that was supposed to drop us to Jurong bird park was waiting with our most privileged boasting company and hell we could not keep them waiting. Also we were supposed to get back by 12 P.M to catch the flight to Bangkok which was our next destination. However we reached the park on time and it was all worth the rush. It had an amazing collection of birds and I was surprised to watch their shows - Birds n Buddies and Kings of the Skies. Adi had a blast watching these shows.

Birds n Buddies Show

Its amazing to watch the parrot sing in 3 language and watch the macaws fly through hoops.

Kings of the Skies
Volunteers were all enthu to participate in the show. The kids couldn't wait to get involved.The falcons fly so close that their wings sometimes brush against you!

Well! Two hours wasn't enough to cover the 2.5 hectare park. But we managed to cover most of it and hoping that we din't miss out on something important, reluctantly we left the park to catch our flight on time. In short Singapore was a fun treat for Adi and us.
Will take a break now!
Adventures in Pattaya and Bangkok will be my next post. Until then!

Bunch of Morons

2010-10-14T00:54:00.001-07:00

Beware : This post is a rant
A string of untoward events have been taking place for a while now and I blame it on fate. The foremost was just after Ganesh festival. This prospective buyer who had signed an agreement to buy our two bedroom flat suddenly decided not to and broke the news exactly a month after signing the paper. We were shocked at his sudden change in mind as the man was still looking for better options after getting into an agreement with us. I am in awe at his nerves to do so, especially after cautioning us against marketing our home for a better price which we (the gentlemen in us) would never have done anyways, especially after getting into an agreement on paper. I kind of get the feeling that this man must have looked for other options even after getting engaged to a girl! Now I am worried about the one he is married to. Hopefully he isn’t reading my blog . What irked me more was the process that led to signing the agreement which in itself was an elongated and laborious one. He claimed that, it was the first time that he has been investing in a property and so the apprehension, which was ok with us. To my surprise, he walked in with a tape the first day itself to measure the dimensions of the house as he said he doesn’t trust paper. When that was sorted, he bargained over the price and the noble hubby came down on it as he isn’t the bargaining type and wanted to avoid many rounds of conversation. He then wanted to check the authenticity of the documents. That took a couple of days and he came back contented. Finally he is ready for the sale agreement during which we clearly mention that the sale deed would be done only after 2 months during which time our new one would be ready. He agrees enthusiastically and fixes the date for the agreement. Next follows the talk on advance amount for which we ask for a decent amount it being 2% of the entire amount. I could not believe my ears when he said that he could only pay 0.1%. For a moment I was puzzled if he actually was paying advance for a couch. However hubby smells trouble and says that he clearly doesn’t seem like an interested party else the bargain would not go to that level. We decide to step out of the deal while this man pursues further and manages to negotiate at 0.25%.” Dumb we “agree as we just want to get rid of the man and his talks more than getting rid of the apt. There we fell into the gully!!! The rest of the story is predictable. He kept looking for better options within our own complex and finds one after a month. He comes back to us saying that he got another one, which has 20 sq ft of extra balcony area and he is going in for that. Ah! The bugger is expecting his advance back :P
Ok, the next one din’t affects us much as our skin had already thickened by then. Will mention the incident though! We had procured 15 bags of sand for civil work in our new flat. It being festival season our laborers weren’t available on that particular day when the truck came in. So we were not able to move it to the working site and it was placed on the side of the approach road without much hindrance to the movement of vehicles. The idea was to move it as soon as the laborers return after their leave which was the next day itself. Well, before we could do that, an excessively vigilant member in charge of cleanliness of our apartment who is known for breaking rules himself marches forward in our absence and orders the security to dump all the sand in the play area without even checking with us atleast once about our plans. When questioned about the hasty act, he declared that personal belongings should not be placed in the common area even if it is for a day. The funny part being that this man resides in the ground floor and for years his potted plants are lying in the common area. God save us!!!

Moving :)

2010-07-13T08:58:00.001-07:00

Newsflash: We are moving to our new home, a 3 Bedroom flat within the same complex in a couple of months and this means more breathing space, being within the comfort zone, same friends and a very happy Adi. But yeah! Am going to miss my cozy 2 bedroom home where 8 years of my life seem to have gone by in a flash.
Taking a trip down the memory lane reminds me of how exited I was 9 years back when Ajith booked the 2 bedroom flat in CG . I was pregnant with Adi and we were living with my parents for a while as we had just returned from US for good. Ajith rejoined SAP after our return and it was a fresh beginning for us. The plan was to move after Adi was a year old and I remember celebrating Adi's first birthday a month after moving into the apartment. It was a rough start initially as our area was kind off secluded and construction of the second phase was just beginning and that meant more dust. Adi kept falling ill during the first three years because of the polluted air but got immune to it after a while. There were very few stores around then and to get essential things on a daily basis was a challenge. I was lucky enough to find a store that delivered grocery at our door step. But there was no stopping after that. Within a year of our stay here, super malls and software hubs became our neighbors and now this area is one of the most sought after spots in Bangalore. Four years later Atul joined us and our little family was happier than ever. Although it was heartbreaking to discover Atul's disability, this home helped me see the beauty of the innocent face that smiles up at me everyday, wiping away the minutest stress I feel. Many an afternoon was spent with the three of us lying lazily on the bed, me and Adi on either side of Atul, showering a thousand kisses. Well, that'll continue as long as we have a bed :).Each day Atul keeps me company as the other two leave to their respective destination and I cant imagine life otherwise. It’s like he is a part of me that cannot be de-tached.
Also, am going to miss the play area view from my balcony as it was fun to watch little kids play, fight, laugh, and cry all at the same time. Besides it was so easy for me to monitor Adi from here when he was little. He was a shout away incase he got into trouble.
This home saw me through a lot of emotions, joy, sadness, arguments, tears, excitement, anxiety and what life without this. It saw me through my kid’s infant hood which is the most important part of their life. I can still visualize 2 year old Adi shooting his way on a toy car all round the place, I can see him hiding in a little green basket which held his tiny nappies, I can see him trying to reach the kitchen counter in an effort to touch the forbidden items, I can see the little man trying to carry a big plastic doll double his size and tripping over it. I can see him running aimlessly and landing on his face on the hard marble floor. GOD! Thank you for all these moments in this sweet home. This home will have a very special place in my heart as the most adorable period of my kids life was spent here. Few months from now, I will carry these emotions to a new home and I am sure it’ll be special in its own way. With new hope and aspirations, I am looking forward to my life in the new home which has two balconies facing the pool. That sure is going to interest Ajith ;)

Adi's Big Day at Delhi

2010-06-03T23:39:00.000-07:00

Adi’s dream came true and finally has his hard earned laptop all for himself and we are so proud of him. The prime motive of this trip was to attend the SOF award ceremony which was scheduled on 30th May where Adi and other toppers were being invited from all over India to receive their awards. If it was not for this, we would never consider making a trip to Delhi reason being, Delhi in itself cannot be treated as a quiet retreat and secondly the weather was absolutely not favorable considering the weather-wise pampered Bangaloreans. However, we booked our flight tickets a month earlier and after much debate over how to make the best of our trip, we decided to make a 4 day trip to Delhi which would give us time to explore the neighboring attractions too, the closest being Agra.

As the day of travel approached, Adi fell ill, which slashed our excitement by half and we even considered canceling our trip when his fever reached 102 the previous day. However the helpful doc gave him a strong antibiotic and suggested to carry on with our plans as it was not all that serious. Well the plan was, Atul would be taken care of by my mom while we go and have a good time. I wasn’t all that rest assured by leaving Atul behind and taking a sick Adi. My mum told us not to worry about Atul and while I was confident that she would take good care of him, it was Adi I was worried about considering the heat in Delhi. But as it was a once in lifetime occasion for Adi and for us, we opted to GO.

So we set off early on the 27th morning and Adi did well throughout the flight, plus point being that he ate well as compared to what he would have done at home. Thanks to his opinion that anything other than his mama’s food is appetizing .It was 3 PM when we landed Delhi airport and the minute we stepped out from the air condition airport environment onto the road looking for our prepaid taxi, the heat wave struck us with a vigor that took us by surprise. It was like we were suddenly pushed into a tandoor. The 5 minute wait was enough to burn our skin and as we stepped into the AC taxi, it was paradise. On our way to the hotel, I was trying to coax Ajith into canceling our trip to nearby attraction but he convinced me that Adi would do fine wandering around than being locked up within the four wall of a hotel room and so I gave in praying that all would be well. We rested that night in the hotel room and the next day we booked a taxi to took us round Delhi. Will take you through some pics

Rashtrapathi Bhavan

Birla Mandir

India gate

Parliament House

Qutub Minar

In front of India gate

Red Fort

Rajghat

By the end of it we were exhausted and after a scrumptious dinner of parathas , palak paneer and pepper chicken , all three of us slept like babies in our hotel room . The alarm went off at 5 AM as we had to catch the Bhopal Shatabdi express (fastest train in India, I am told) to Agra at 6AM. As we reached the station, I must say it is one of the worst I have ever seen. Let me warn you all never to look at the tracks as they are covered with shit and smells awful. Dirtier than Chennai , Bangalore I must say is comparatively better than these two cities. Mind you, am not talking about the Metro station in Delhi which I heard is the best of its kind. We wanted to experience the AC chair car on Shatabdi which is quite popular and it was definitely a pleasant journey to Agra which is four hours away from Delhi.As we got down at the Agra station we were received by this huge mob of tourist taxi drivers howling and fighting with each other to grab on to tourists like us especially foreigners. What irked me most was that, there were these two little beggar girls who were pulling each other’s hair with an intensity which could snap their necks off. Both were howling, crying and a man who tried to interfere to make peace between the two got scratched badly. Now I know why these people go back and give a bad picture of India. We managed to get away from this mob and booked a prepaid taxi to tour us round Agra. The first destination being Fatehpur Sikri which is a city and municipal board in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The historical city was constructed by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570 and served as the empire's capital from 1571 until 1585. Though the court took 15 years to build, it was abandoned after only 14 years because the water supply was unable to sustain the growing population.[1] The surviving palace and mosque are a tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site itself is a ghost town.

Inside Fatehpur

Fatehpur entry

Agra gate

Another capture inside Fatehpur

Most historic buildings in Agra are built using red sandstone. An example of this window grill carved in single block of sandstone

Anarkali's escape route after facing Akbar's ultimatum

Graveyard (Kabar) for the men in Akbar's palace. Women and kids were buried inside the buildings. We could see even a two foot long kabar, probably that of a toddler from 1500s

In front of Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal main dome as seen from the compound entry gate

Taj Mahal - part of the facade

Agra Fort

Mumtaz Mahal's kabar - Each flower on the white marble is made out of multi-reflector stones

We had to head back to the station by 6 PM to catch the train back to Delhi which was due at 7 PM. It was 11 by the time we reached Delhi and again we slept soundly not to mention that Adi did extremely well all through the journey and we kept him hydrated throughout the trip provided he ate well too. Fever was gone and now we had to deal only with some mouth blisters. Good enough bargain!

Finally the day arrived and Adi jumped off the bed early in the morning with anticipation carved all over his face. He chanted laptop for the whole 3 hours until we reached the venue . It was a beautiful morning and we were at the Chinmaya Centre of World Understanding auditorium dot 10AM. It was a huge place and was decorated very well for the occasion.We were received by the SOF volunteers and as we entered the reception we saw a group of equally proud kids and parents. On entering the auditorium, the kids were asked to sit on one side of the auditorium while parents sat on the other. The dignitaries soon followed and the function began and we got to hear some inspiring speeches of these dignitaries followed by prize distribution and lunch. The pics will explain the rest.

After returning home to Bangalore we unpacked his precious gift to find this beauty

Adi Khush hua :)))

My Personality :)

2010-05-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

Typealyzer is a tool that tells the personality of the blogger by analyzing his/her blog. Here is what the tool concluded about me :). Try yours

The analysis indicates that the author of http://vidyamystie.blogspot.com/ is of the type:
ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Summer Update

2010-05-12T04:29:00.000-07:00

Time is flying and I don’t want summer to be over yet. Waking late in the morning and lazing around with the kids has been the order of the day and I would like to hold on to it a little longer. Also, not having to plan the day when it comes to food is luxury.
Weekend outings to water parks, and other local attractions, catching up with friends and family are spoiling us. Swimming in the pool late evening is refreshing. What more could I ask for especially when we decided to spend this summer at home in Bangalore and not visit granny in Kerala which is the case otherwise. Summer has been pleasant in Bangalore so far and I am glad that we visited granny in the month of December else we would have been sweating out in Kerala, struggling with heat boils.
Managing Adi is not a problem as his friends in the apartment are available 24/7. After breakfast, he is out by 9 in the morning fooling around with a bunch of likes and tries to make it by lunch, peeking in with a guilty face for not having come for milk and snack break as promised. The brat is capable of starving the whole day just to loiter with his friends. Watching him and his friends dive or fly or flip over into the pool gives me dreadful dreams, all part of the parcel I guess.
We had been to Wonder La (Water Park in Bangalore) a couple of days back with sister’s family and a friend .It was fun.The water rides were definitely a welcome break to cut the summer heat.Sliding down those steep, curvy water slides was a thrilling experience and the wave pool was best of all as I loved it when the the waves hit our back giving us a massaging effect. We did get into some gut wrenching dry rides only to come out dazed and disoriented. Will share a couple of pics here except the water rides as we could not handle the camera in water :)

Another feather in Adi’s cap

2010-03-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

Adi is in 2nd grade now and this academic year is coming to an end. He will be 8 in May and I would like to summarize the year that passed by for Adi, for it was special in many ways linked to his academic achievements. On a meek note, let me begin by saying that his truly won a couple of competitions held in school but the cream of the cake has been the Science Olympiad foundation SOF tournament which is a qualitative and quantitative assessment of kids at the national level (for more details refer SOF) in order to build up the scientific and IT talent pool. Hmmmm it’s too early to use such complicated terms for him but as of now I am proud of the way he cracked it.
Well! There is short story behind this. Sometime in October, one day he returned home from school and very casually asked me for some money. Money! I heard and I bombarded him with a thousand questions. He took out his diary and showed me the note which was about the SOF. I had no idea what it was then and the note said, please register for cyber, science or maths Olympiad exams by paying some XX amount for each. Adi pestered me to pay up for all three, but I flatly refused and told him to enroll only for science and maths. Well the little man was counting chickens before being hatched and he was already dreaming of the three laptops which is the award for the topper of SOF and that meant ranking within the first 500 (national level lemme stress) in the first level test after which you get selected for the second level and if you rank first at all India level then you get a laptop and cash award from some eminent personality of India  and my boy wanted that (High ambition for the little body and mamma dear cannot bear to see her little boy carry such heavy load) . And so the next day I sent him some money and asked him to promptly get back the remainder. But the little man turned out smarter than the dumb mother. He paid up for all three and bought a chocolate for his girlfriend and himself with the rest of the money and came back home without a sign of remorse. The mad me whacked him exactly thrice for not obeying and vowed to send the exact amount in future!!
Coming to the point 
The First level SOF took place in the months of September, October and November.
Adi ranked 241 at all India First level for the Cyber Olympiad and 438 for science Olympiad respectively and got selected for the second level in both.
His second level Cyber result is out and ladies and gentleman, mamma is proud to present her 57 ranked boy even though his truly self is depressed that he did not stand first and will not get a laptop. But Mamma and dada are very proud of his achievement as he has no idea what it means to stand 57th at All India level and he is entitled for a cash award for being within the first 500.
The second level science Olympiad result will be out in a couple of days I will keep you all updated about the same.
Hope I wasn’t bragging but I don’t care even if I was in this matter  as this blog is for my kids.
Buuri nazarwaale aapka mugh kaalle!!! Will translate the meaning of this sentence in my next blog ;)

Edited to Add : Update on Science Olympiad second level results and guess what people
He ranked 2nd at All India level :))) and his dream came true. A laptop as the prize for the genius ;) and mama is soooooo haaappppy :X:X

Below are the cumulative records of the same mostly for my reference later ;)
Cyber First level result

Science First Level

Cyber second level

Sports Event at our Apartment

2010-03-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

Busy was the word for February. Generally, the sports day until last year was held on the Republic day in our apartment but by some means we pushed it further and had our yearly sports event towards the end of Feb. Few of us took initiative to plan the event and instead of a single day event, we decided to make it a sports month. Badminton and table tennis matches were planned; mails and notices were sent out for enrolments. Many came forward to participate. Lots were drawn and dates were fixed for the matches. All of a sudden there was excitement in the air. The normally sluggish atmosphere in the apartment was bursting with activity. I was delighted to watch people carrying badminton rackets day in and out practicing for their matches. Some played for the fun of it while others were actually good at the game. Life is absolutely beautiful when people get together to enjoy even if it means for many a couch potato to dump their lazy mode to get some butts moving. Also a Walkathon along with kids sports event was planned for the D day. Breakfast was outsourced from Adyar Ananda Bhavan. We did face some hitches in putting together breakfast for almost 140 people, but thanks to the active involvement of the president of our committee, things fell into place. Walkathon was scheduled to start at 7 A M in the morning and the first batch was for senior citizens. All were up and there much before time and their faces gleamed like little excited kids. Me and couple of others were volunteers where each of us were assigned different jobs. Some had to note down the lap timings and others had to watch if anyone were breaking rules. Few of us were at water points serving water, aerosol, glucose and bananas. In one word fun!! All done, people were hungry for breakfast and Adyar’s mini tiffin which consists of one crispy masala dosa, one idli, one vada, pongal, kesaribhath, 3 chutneys and sambar at Rs.45/- was more than welcome for every one. After breakfast it was time for kids events and this is one area where you never need to push for. Kids are always excited when it comes to sports. We had planned one event for each age group, but they all wanted more. It was amusing to watch the little kids perform and the treat for our eyes was the men’s frog race which was planned on spot for the fun of it. It was hilarious to see them do it all wrong!!!
Ok ,Will leave you all with some snaps.

Start Point for Walkathon

Water Point

The Winner of ladies walkathon

May Her Soul Rest in Peace

2010-01-19T21:51:00.001-08:00

I wont come up with the same excuse this time other than the fact that I was plain lazy in filling you all in. A lot has happened since I last updated and to begin with let me give you a brief on our vacation at Ajith’s home in Kerala. The weather was puuuuurfect , not too cold nor too hot. Both my Sis-in-Laws with kids were there and we had a good time showing off our culinary skills. That ensured sumptuous food throughout our stay there. I had warned Adi about snakes wandering around the property during this season and like the saying goes “talk about the devil and the devil is here “, Adi and cousins spotted a viper right in front of the house the very next day. The kids tried to be a bit adventurous by getting close to it but since this snake cannot see in daytime, it was moving very slowly. Ajith killed the snake without second thoughts while the others were busy compelling him to do so. The little brats were excited but not scared. That’s about the little adventure they had, but sad news hit me on the day before New Year. My aunt passed away (my father’s brother’s wife), she was 60 and bedridden for six years, and both her legs were amputated because of high sugar levels. I and my mom in law went to see her and her face reminded me of all the good times I spent in summer all through my younger years. She was a very warm hearted, strong person and had to struggle throughout her life as my uncle died early. She had a good job which took care of the financial side and brought up her two daughters without letting them feel the loss of my uncle. She inspired me in various ways which I may not be able to pen in here and I loved her for it. Even though I wasn’t around her much, she has touched me in various ways and I think very few can give that kind of an impression in one’s life.
As I looked at the pale, white, lifeless body, I could not hold it any longer as I sobbed dejectedly on my cousin’s shoulders. On the other hand, I was glad her misery ended.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a season of festivity and there is some kind of magic in the air as it approaches. The lights and decorations around us bring in a lot of excitement and seeing them will raise the spirit of all including people feeling low. We had a humble celebration in our apartment and the kids were asked to get some decoration for the Christmas tree that we put up in front of the reception. Adi was all excited to hear that Santa will be coming with gifts in the evening and he got busy creating decorations for the Christmas tree. He came up with a Santa Claus made of shuttle cock and cut out a huge bell with paper and colored it suitably. The other kids were also equally excited and came up with some wonderful decorations for the tree. All of us gathered down in code Red and the kids were getting a bit impatient as Santa was taking a while longer. However the music playing in the background kept the kids busy as they rocked to them and finally Santa arrived. While he greeted everyone, the kids were busy prying with the red bag he had over his shoulder. Santa began to tease the kids by running away from them, but the little brats lost patience and pulled out his cap. He was lucky that he didn’t get stripped whilst poor Santa realized that it’s time to give away the gifts if he had to return home graciously or he would have learnt the hard way not to mess with them.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Have fun all of you all, I will be in Kerala this new year and hoping to have a ball with my hubby’s family. I will leave you with some pics of the Christmas tree in our Apt.

Check out the red bell that Adi made for the tree

Update :)

2009-11-23T00:33:00.000-08:00

Ok I have a confession to make and that is “I am a farmville addict “which kept me from blogging for almost a month now and I felt like I have forgotten to connect my thoughts into words. I must say it’s been stimulating to do something else other than blogging but on the way I missed to update you all about a few accomplishments of my dear Adi which am proud of and they are….they are ….they are…. “first prize for handwriting competition and a consolation prize for drawing competition in school (forgot to mention that he got the first prize for drawing competition last year when he was in first standard)” and wow!! I like to use the word first a lot, as mama vidya never was first in anything. All thanks to papa Aju for transferring his smart genes to his son . I must admit that he gets the artistic strokes quiet naturally and seems like it has a part to play in his handwriting too. But the boy does get impatient and tends to get all dirty when not in mood but his dirty handwriting is like my neat one hehehe.Well! I would like to record these moments as such little achievements can be forgotten easily with passing time and owing to my poor memory , I would like to look back some day in future and feel proud of his modest triumphs during his childhood.
Atul on the other hand is happy in his own way and hasn’t fallen ill with common ailments off late which have kept my mind at peace (touch wood). His little antics and smiles brighten our day. Check out his latest video.

Goodbye Radhika

2009-10-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

One more friend relocated but this time it was a close one and that made a difference. Radhika moved to Chennai last weekend and with an aching heart we let her go! It came as a surprise as she broke the news to me and my first reaction was tears. I never thought she would leave as she owned her apartment and owners hardly think like the floating population. We knew each other for the past 4 years and our friendship blossomed slowly with time. Both of us had a fervent mind when it came to organizing activities in our apartment and this factor bonded us. Also our habitual morning walks (talks and laughs precisely) after dropping Adi in his school van was something I was getting used to .Today as I dropped him , involuntarily I searched for that familiar smiling face only to realize that I will never have her company anymore. The bareness struck me as I walked back home and Ajith opened the door only to ask me, “do you miss her”. Yes! Of course I miss her!
I have cribbed over and over again that the best friends I made, belonged to my teen days. But after getting to know Radhika, I knew I had just made one among the few I acquainted with .
And now, the time has come to say goodbye not to the friendship but to a sort of life and I want to live in dissent by saying...see you later...

Dedicating this video for her

An Unresolved Issue

2009-10-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

My self and Adi always quarrel when it comes to practicing his handwriting. His writing used to be fine until recently and off late I noticed that he is in a hurry to finish his work which is making his writing awful .Yesterday Adi got his portions for the third test and I opted to brush his grammar portion first. So I opened his class work and slowly began to ask him questions. Half way through I spotted a sentence that he had written trimly and I showed it to him saying, that is the kind of handwriting I expect him to continue. He then began to argue and told me not to interfere in that matter as I had the worst handwriting in the “whole world” and added that his teacher would have given me TC if I showed her my handwriting!!!!!!

A getaway to scotland of India- Coorg

2009-10-01T21:20:00.000-07:00

This part of the year is always eventful with Atul’s and Ajith’s birthday lining in one after the other .To top it we had an impulsive vacation to coorg just before the birthdays popped in and prior to Adi’s last few days of holiday. I was at my parents place when Ajith planned on the trip and I was exited to hear about it. We decided to leave Atul with them considering the difficulty of carrying him along to a hill station. My mother was more than willing to take care of him while I took a break .Thanks to her, if it weren’t for them, I could not have relaxed and enjoyed the trip in peace.
It was a splendid trip despite the bad roads in patches. We left Bangalore at around 6 A M in the morning and reached Mysore in 3 Hrs. We stopped for breakfast at the popular Kamat Lokaruchi in Ramanagara . The atmosphere in the restaurant is like a village and the feel is like you are sitting in an old fashioned house with people wearing traditional canara style attires and very homely food being cooked and served on banana leaves. The idlis are wrapped in plantain leaf and they are yum. After the breakfast we headed towards suntikpoppa almost non stop except for a few breaks .We took the Bangalore - Bidadi - Ramanagaram - Chennapatna - Maddur - Mandya - Srirangapatna – Mysore-Yelwal - Hunsur - Kempalapura - Periyapatna - Bylakuppe - Kushalnagara - Suntikoppa – Madikeri.I must say the drive upto coorg was misty , picturesque and calm as I enjoyed every moment of it.
Adi was a sweet heart throughout the trip, as he never fussed and enjoyed the drive but every now and then he would ask us if we have reached Coorg. I presume he would have preferred being air lifted to Coorg from Bangalore if given a choice.
On the way we decided to visit the Golden temple (Tibetan monastery) . It’s a tourist attraction in Bylakuppe. After Periyapatna a huge arch across the road announces the Tibetan settlement ahead in Bylakuppe. This is one of the largest and oldest settlements of Tibetans in India. As an indication you can see colorful prayer flags flying in the area.

One of our friend booked us into this beautiful Wind flower spa and resort which was a stunner in the mid of green woods. We stayed in a suite which had a good living area, sit out, large bedroom with window opening to the woods, kitchenette and a huge bathroom with three different shower options (open air shower, Jacuzzi tub, and glass curtained shower) apart from the wash area and toilet.
Take a glimpse at the resort pictures below

It was late afternoon by the time we reached the resort and we were especially hungry. Thankfully as we entered the reception area the server was waiting with our welcome drink. Tired as we were we drained down the fresh watermelon juice in a rush. Then we headed straight towards the restaurant .An awesome buffet was spread across one angle of the restaurant and we ate like pigs. Our package included all three meals in the resort and never once were we disappointed. After lunch we went to the suite and like I explained earlier it was luxury. We lazed around until evening and then we planned to check out Abbey falls which was relatively close to our resort. So we left at around 6 PM and drove through narrow roads between the coffee plantations up and down the hills. It was getting darker and we could hear the falls from a distance. Many people were returning from the spot as we were getting closer to the falls. By the time we reached the vicinity, not a single soul was seen and it was pitch dark. We were a bit nervous when we entered the pathway leading to the falls. It’s monsoon time and we knew that the water flow is very high in this season. The sound of the gushing falls in the darkness with no one except us around was creepy. But I put up a brave face in front of Aditya who was almost in tears. He wanted to get back home but we dragged him along. Finally we saw the falls in the darkness roaring in it’s full capacity. It was white against a black background and we stood on the bridge and felt the sprinkles on our face. Scary but thrilling! Adi had begun to cry by now and we started running back to the gate as fast as our legs could take us. We breathed a sigh of relief as we approached the exit gate and entered the car where we felt safe and comfortable (forgot to mention that it was cold and drizzling all along). On the way up the hill we saw a bison in the darkness and that taught us our lesson – never venture out in the dark to unknown places. What if we were in a two wheeler!!
Back to the resort in time for dinner .Pigs that we are, we ate and got back to the suite and hit the most comfy, clean, white bed. Next day we charted out a plan and left early after breakfast to part- 2 tourist attractions. The pics will explain the rest.

Raja seat : According to legend, the Kings of Coorg spent their evenings with their consorts here. A photographic view of the lofty mountains, grassy meadow, steep dale, wide spread paddy fields can be enjoyed from Raja’s Seat.

Bhagamandala is a pilgrimage place in Kodagu, Karnataka, in India. It is situated on the river Kaveri in its upstream stretches. At this place, the Kaveri is joined by two tributaries, the Kannike and the mythical Sujyoti river. It is considered sacred as a river confluence (kudala or triveni sangama).Ajith performed rituals to his father and ancestors by taking a dip in sangama(known as ganga of the south).
Kaveri Nisargadhama is an island formed by river Kaveri and is used as a picnic spot near Kushalnagar in the district of Kodagu in Karnataka.It has thick bamboo groves, sandalwood and teak trees and surrounded by the Kaveri river. The island is accessible through a hanging rope bridge. There are deer, rabbits, peacocks, and a children's playground.

The Brahmagiri are a range of mountains in the Western Ghats of south India. The Brahmagiri Hills are situated at the border between Wayanad district of Kerala on the south and Kodagu district of Karnataka in the north.Talakaveri is the place that is generally considered to be the source of the Kaveri River. It is located in the Brahmagiri hill near Bhagamandala in Kodagu district, Karnataka.The temple here is dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara, which denotes the link between Kavery and Sage Agasthya.

The legend goes that, the Kaveri river was held in a Kamandalu (a container of sacred water) by Sage Agasthya. Vinaayaka (Lord Ganesha) took the form of a crow and perched on the kamandalu of Agasthya when Agasthya was meditating. When Agasthya realised this, he shooed away the crow. But the Divine Crow tipped the kamandalu and toppled it. Out poured Kaveri which started flowing. The crow disappeared and in its place stood a small boy. Agasthya thought that the boy was playing some prank and clenching both his fists, went to pound the head of the small boy. But the boy escaped and Agasthya gave chase. Finally the boy vanished and Lord Ganesha showed Himself to Agasthya. Agasthya was aghast at the realisation that he had just tried to knock the head of Ganesha Himself. As atonement, he knocked his own head with both of his clenched fists.
The temple at Tirumukkudal Narasipura (confluence of Kabini (aka Kapila river, Kaveri and invisible Spatika Sarovara (Crystal Lake)) is also dedicated to Lord Agastheeswara.

On Tulasankramana day (the first day of Makara Masa month, according to the Hindu calendar, which normally falls in mid October) thousands of pilgrims flock to the river's birthplace to witness the rise of the fountainhead, when water gushes up from the spring at a predetermined moment. The tula snanam (Sacred bath in the Tula month) is observed across pilgrim towns in Kaveri's banks.

The above info is from wikipedia and I guess all of you are saturated with information now and I am tired of blogging as well...

However this trip rejuvenated us and we had a splendid time!!!

Kaun Banega Rakhi Pati Skit ….

2009-09-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

…was a huge hit here in our apartment!
Last week was packed for me. Onam(The harvest festival in Kerala) was long over but celebrations in our apartment was pending. As usual we were ready with our standard set of dance and songs, but unexpectedly we planned a skit in the last moment. Without my mom, I couldn’t have managed it. She was here taking care of Atul while I and Ajith were out there practicing our roles. With three days to go and a vague script in hand, we decided to plunge into it.
The theme was Kaun Banega Rakhi Ka Pathi and lugging willing people for the characters was a tough task. The title gives away the theme and an explanation may not be necessary to understand the subject. Dinesh and Rajesh were the brain behind it. They came up with the background numbers to be played while each character made his entry to impress Rakhi. Rajesh played the character of MGR, Dinesh as The Malayalam super star Mohanlal, Saji as Old time Malayali super star Jayan, Sharath as Madhu (the dramatic star of Malayalam cinema), Venkat as Rajanikanth, Dinesh as Mamooty, Ajith as Rahki Sawant /Chaandpottu, Me as Punchiri das(Renjini Haridas-the anchor of Idea star singer), Rekha as Usha Utup, Anjana as Rimy Tommy(Singer in Kerala) and Mohan as M G Sree Kumar(singer in Kerala).
On the big day (I should mention that it was of course a big day for us as it’s been years since all of us attempted a skit and few of us were debu-s) all of ‘em performed exceptionally well. That would be understatement. Their make up and costume complimented their act respectively and the dialogues they chose to say was absolutely humorous. I personally liked Rakhi’s, MGR, Usha Utup and Jayan’s costume. We had fun during all the practice sessions and our efforts were worth it.
I was the anchor of the skit and tried to do justice to my role by trying to be a Malayali who talks more in English. The little bit of Malayalam that did pop out occasionally is spoken with an English accent. It came in naturally for me as my Malayalam is a wee bit akin to that considering that I am born and bought up in Bangalore. After the show all of ‘em were bursting praises for Ajith. Looks like he stole the show with his sexy numbers!!
The kids did an awesome performance themselves and I guess this is the best Onam celebration so far in CG.
Enjoy the video of the skit...

I am rather confused…

2009-09-02T23:14:00.000-07:00

…when people ask me if I believe in God. I am uncertain of my stand on this matter.
Am I religious and my answer is “no, not hard core religious” which means that there are times I question the very existence of this superior force. Would that mean I am an atheist and it’s again a “No, as I am not too sure about the conviction of atheism” which means I do pray when I am confused . That would land me in a skeptic scale as I am trying to find my answers yet. Until now I haven’t found a person who could completely justify their belief or non- belief in God and this issue is here to muddle me for the rest of my life. Wish I could get an answer for a fact!!!

The Orange Belt

2009-08-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hoping karate sir is oblivious of the concept of internet as the content in this post may rub him the wrong way and in-case he reads this post, all of you guys can come for my funeral.
I can now proudly say that I got my son an orange belt for just Rs300 precisely like I bought him a yellow belt six months back and so did the others. Poor Adi, didn’t have to practice his kattas to earn it whilst I could easily buy it for him. That’s right folks, the man will just throw away belts of any color for a nominal charge and all that you got to do is attend his karate rather komedy class for an hour twice a week and your son gets back home swearing at you in case you are a day late in paying up the monthly fees. You are lucky if he doesn’t use those kicks his sir taught just for essentials, like using it on you to pay up the fees on time. Maybe I was mistaken when I contemplated that my son may learn some discipline, by attending the class and here I am the one getting disciplined in the area of paying up fees on time. It doesn’t matter if you are not upto the mark in the craft. All that matters is you pay his fees on time or else you can see two sets of dark pupils staring at you at your door step every month end, giving you the whitest smile ever from a dark background (visualize the ghost in the graveyard). That’s our karate sir for you. The man the myth the legend!!
P.S The man was particular that he be photographed while giving the belt as that gives him a sense of accomplishment. In case the charge in the mobile gets over and you excuse yourself from shooting, he is ready to wait until the mobile gets charged to hand over the belt. I call that dedication to the noble craft!!!

Wish both the masters smiled in the below picture. We could have atleast got to see their teeth

Atul in a nutshell

2009-08-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

This project has been on my pending tasks for a while now and it took me four straight hours to get it together. The hard work did pay off and I am sooo happy with the results. The background song is Celine Dion's "Precious one". Aditya got sentimental after he watched the video!! I am dedicating it to Atul :)

The Cocktail Party

2009-07-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since we “married with kids type” were planning on a women’s day out or rather a break from the routine while daddies baby sit. Well! There could be nothing perfect than a birthday excuse. It was shilpa’s birthday and it took just an hour of planning to materialize it. Sometimes things don’t work if we have been planning for too long and it turns out just perfect when it’s all spontaneous. The birthday girl gave us an hours notice for a cocktail party and we were all excited. To many this may sound awkward considering it being a women’s day out in India or am I being conservative thinking that very few women in India go to a pub especially after the Shiv sena incident. That definitely has not hampered our spirits and off we went to have a good time at Indijoe which is a trendy bar that houses an array of exotic drinks, cocktails and wines. It’s located opposite our apartment and we merrily chitchatted our way to the bistro. Few of them who don’t drink joined just for the fun of it. It was happy hours at Indijoe which meant easy on shilpa’s wallet but she seemed to be in high spirits, ready for a ball. Cracking the menu was quite tricky as most of us being occasional drinkers were not familiar with the terms in the menu book. Thankfully one of ‘em in the group knew a bit more than the others (thanks to her husband’s expert counseling) and she helped us choose the right drinks which would keep us on our feet or rather not knock us off. After one hook of light drinks, we geared up our guts for another one and this time our advisor turned evil and wanted us to go overboard with a tequila shot. The wise us called it a day after a wonderful session of gossip, starters and drinks that we could handle!! Thanks Shilpa , and here’s wishing you a happy happy birthday .We really had a good time.

Everytime it rains

2009-07-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

There is something perpetually charming about rain for me.
Everytime it rains, I find myself singing.
Everytime it rains, I am happier than I would be otherwise.
Everytime it rains, I am much more liberal towards Adi.
Everytime it rains, I feel like baking.
Everytime it rains I feel like having a cup of ginger tea.
Everytime it rains, I desire to eat boiled corn.
Everytime it rains, I would prefer being on a busy street eating chat under a thin shelter with little rain drops falling on my plate.
Everytime it rains, I listen to old romantic hindi songs.
Everytime it drizzles, I run to the balcony to witness the priceless sight , that of a rainbow and I am a witness to it today.
I try hard to write a good poem but my efforts in rain go in vain but I am happy when it rains. I would be happier if the clothes in the balcony dried. Life would just be soooo purrfect.
I find it difficult to describe in words the transformation that comes over me everytime it rains.

Each d.a.y

2009-06-29T23:01:00.000-07:00

as the van approaches , it brings in a new tale and every afternoon while I wait for Adi to get back from school, I can expect a new saga in the form of complaints, praise, anger, fights etc. It comes in a surprise package. As the van stops al that you need to do is, look at the expression on the girls faces (girls I specify as they have a tendency to complain) and you know what’s coming. If it’s a smile, peace assured. If it’s a frown, your journey to hell begins as they won’t stop until we have parted ways. As the rats shove each other out of the van, with it comes a shrill in the form of complaint aimed at the respective mom whose son or daughter got into trouble. In Chorus “AUNTY he licked the window of the van, dirty boy, we are not going to be his friend”. “Aunty, he punched me, as I punched him, but he did it first”. “Aunty he pulled my hair and so I kicked him on his bum!!” Sometimes, it can be a gang against one which is when the victim gets helpless. The situation gets out of control as you watch a little rabbit crying for help as he or she gets out of the van! You can only pray it’s not your son’s or daughter’s turn that day.

Crabby mood

2009-06-11T00:48:00.000-07:00

“All things cannot be done to perfection always” is something I keep reminding myself about time and again, especially when I have tested Adi’s patience for my time. “No, later “is the standard phrase I use when he needs some attention. The mean me is worse when I am not in the best of my health. A minor belly pain or back ache can bring out the worst in me and poor little guy bears it with a frown on his face. All I get to do is whine about it when he is asleep thinking of the fact that it didn’t take much to give him what he needed (could be as simple as a paper to draw)
My nights are worse when Adi hurls his leg on my chest. I wake up with a startle and run to the couch in a flash, to catch up on my lost sleep. But I have trouble getting back to sleep once I am up and some days it’s hard and I lose it by getting grumpy in the morning. I get this crazy idea of waking up everybody by screaming into their ears. Yesterday was one of those days.

The other day I was talking to my friend who had been bearing a stiff neck for weeks.
I realized the number of things that can get affected in daily life as a result of these minor irritations. She could not manage to take a look at something by her side, so imagine supervising two kids with a stiff neck. She must have certainly lost her cool several times in a day. We ladies never give priority to our own health!!!

”Health is wealth” hit back at me when I fell ill couple of months back. Everything at home came to a full stop and the realization that no-one can take our place when it comes to multitasking smacked me like boom. Now, I can do anything for the sake of good health, so long as I am feeling well and have a good night's sleep.

Adi says

2009-06-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

All human beings are thieves. Ask me why ?
Because we steal food from plants.

Summer holidays have ended and Adi is back to school. I was surprised when his teacher dived straight into lessons before warm up on the very first day. The Lesson being Plants in his science subject had his crooked mind rubbing the wrong side. He said ”Mama, some plants store food in stem and and some others in root”. We eat them without their permission and they have feelings too just like other living things”. So we are thieves!!!!
Thanks to all the cartoon series on TV which shows many talking plants and animals?

Me : Ummmm errrrrr well! We take trouble growing them and so we can eat ‘em.
Him: You never grew any plant and you ate ‘em. You are the biggest thief!!!
My sister : It’s the law of nature!!!