Such is life

It was 5:32 in the evening and the office cubicles were almost empty. I was still there though I was supposed to be on the road driving to the daycare to pick up Paapu, 2 minutes back. It takes around 20 minutes to reach the daycare, a little more if there is traffic. Daycare closes at 6 PM and the providers make it a point to mention “you are late!” even if it is by 4 minutes. Mommy guilt sucks.

“Shucks! Am late”, I thought, shutting down the laptop and hurriedly picking up my things.

I turned around while stuffing the laptop in the bag and noticed Rick* in the next cubicle was still working. He always did. He was in his place every day when I came in and he was right there, working intently even when I left. I give my 8+ hours all days in office, which meant Rick worked much more. I joined this new team recently and knew everyone in the team pretty well by now, except for Rick. He was old, maybe 55 or even 60. He wore neat and clean sweaters, although old looking and grey.He looked really close into the computer screen when he worked. If approached for an issue, he would offer his opinions and ideas. Then, he wrote them down and took prints to distribute to everyone concerned. “Just send us an email Rick”, we laughed sometimes. He spoke very matter-of-factly during meetings, and spoke defensively even at funny remarks made in a light moment. He hardly smiled.

Like everyone else (much younger to him) in the team, I began looking at him as a different case. Approached him only when it was truly necessary, never made small talk or tried to be friends. Although he sat right next to my cubicle. It was only casual ‘Hi’, ‘Bye.. Cya” and nothing else. Until that day.

I was just about to leave and noticed Rick looking deep into his computer screen and typing away. “Why does this man take work so seriously? Why doesn’t he just go home to his family?!”, I wondered and pat came these words out of my mouth, as if involuntarily.

“Hey Rick, do you have any kids?”

“Ummm.No”

“Wife..family..?”

“Well, my son died 7 years ago and my wife might be leaving me very soon”

“Oh…”, and my voice trailed off.

I cursed myself really bad in my head. Why did I need to ask him about family? How insensitive of me.Argh!

“Uh..I am sorry. But, I am sure things will turn around for you Rick”, I mumbled a lame effort.

“It does not look like that to me”, he smiled weakly.

“It will be okay. You just keep up hopes”, I said as I picked up my bag and dashed towards the door. Rick turned back to his computer.

“Am late”, I thought again and hurried to the car.

I got in and switched on the engine and suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge wave of sadness hit me like a ton of bricks. Before I knew it, I was sobbing uncontrollably into my palms. What had I just done?!!

It took couple of minutes to gather myself back again, get down the car and walk back into the office.

Rick was there, lost in the computer screen and typing some code.

“Hey Rick”

“Hey”

“I..I..I am terribly sorry I asked you the question… Can I give you a hug?”

He stretched out his arms slowly and then we hugged. “It’s gonna be okay Rick..It’s..”, I gulped the lump in my throat as I patted his back.

“Don’t cry. That’s alright”, he assured.

“It’s just that ..I might have judged you..and I feel really bad for that.I am sorry”, tears still rolling down.

“Oh..”

“Rick, since I saw you here working all the time, I wondered if you cared enough to go home to your family..”

“Family.. I don’t have one. Because I don’t have anyone or anything to go to. Seven years back, life seemed perfect! Then, my son passed away, all hell broke loose and everything fell apart..just like that.”

“…things can get better..” I tried to say.

“I am 56 and I have less life left. I don’t see it turning up again for me, ever. One thing that keeps me occupied is my work and I try and keep busy at it. I am here early..and I leave late. As I said, I have nothing else to go to.”  That weak smile again.

“I will send out good thoughts for you Rick, ask the one up above to set it right for you”

“Okay”, he said matter-of-factly, “Thank you”.

I walked back to the car slowly. The water in my eyes was drying up, but the pain lingered ..and I let it stay. I knew I deserved it. Realization, sometimes comes the hard way. And , it’s okay to hurt.

As I drove, the precept re-iterated in the head several times – Never judge people by their mannerisms or behavior. You never know what life has been to them..you never know the story they lived through..You never know where their smiles were left behind..You never know…

Paapu ran to me with a familiar delight as I stood there at the entrance of the daycare, arms stretched open for a hug.

Another day. Another lesson.

Such is life . It never stops teaching.

[ * Name changed to protect identity]

 

New Year tagging along

How have you been? That new one, 2012, treating you well?

Though we planned it to be a quite and happy beginning, the new year ushered us in with a lot of action – that which included our car break in, a cold night drive, last minute changes and a party which rocked the night round – high on music, laughter, dance and spirits ( both kinds ) !

All that is a different story to tell. I am here, however, for a different reason. First, to wish each one of you a new year that feels fabulous in every  possible way

Second, to do this tag that I have been meaning to do since the time I saw it here.That’s one wicked post to begin writing in the new year, I know. Who said I was being nice anyway?

Once I start talking of the husband and his traits, it shall be difficult to stop. So, am conveniently giving up the 7 number restriction and proceeding.

• The husband has one dimple on each cheek. That makes it two (duh!)..and I love them muchly. So much so that I sincerely prayed Paapu gets them too when I was expecting her. That didn’t happen, however, and the husband remains the sole a-dimple-on-each-cheek person in the family.Needless to say he is mighty proud of those two ( dimples, I mean).

• Before you go all awww at the above point, let me make up for it by saying that his hair style ( style? Hehehe) is sad.The guy lived in denial until one day, when the 6 year old of a dear friend pointed his head and giggled “Your hair is funny. Looks like a nest”. Enough said.

• Are you looking for the ultimate guide to annoy people? Contact The husband.Some tips in the beginners chapter will have things like placing open palm on the victims face without reason for unlimited duration. Also, changing your computer settings to hang the icons upside down, when victim leaves the machine unattended.Or, you may learn how you can stealthily update victims profile on network sites to say “I am a raging alcoholic and of course a chain smoker too. I live with my 16 dogs and 10 cats”

• I find it really hard to say this..I flinch and my nose crinkles, but here goes – The husband is the more responsible one among us two.Hmph. He remembers to ..pay the bills, update documents, keep in touch with relatives and friends, check on status about milk in the fridge, wear the condom whatever the heat of the moment, get the car serviced on time. What? All true those.

• The most wacky dialogues come out of him at the most unexpected times. It mostly makes you laugh out loud accompanied by an ‘Ayyo!’ face-palm. Sample these :

——————–

Me:”Did you finish that book – Top 10 places to see before you die?”

Him:”Hmm. I am coming up with my own list”

Me: “What list?”

Him: “Top 10 places to die before you see”

——————–

Me: So, what do you think?

Him: That I am your Prince and you are my Prince-Ass

——————-

• Have a free weekend with no plans? Want to just sit down and chill on the sofa, spend a lazy day watching a movie or two? Forget it, if you are married to this man, The husband. He is like a fish out of water if there is no plan ahead of the day.Or, to be precise, if there is no outdoor plan for the day. He believes it is blasphemous to spend free time indoors. Rain, sunshine or snow, he is all set all the time shouting , “come on, lets go!”. What weed he smokes to be such an enthu cutlet all the time, I don’t know.

• Sports of any kind doesn’t interest this guy. No, really! I found it hard at first..can such a GUY exist? Yes, he can. And, he does not care who is playing what and how, for any sport. Can be a good sportsman though, within a group of friends playing cricket or frisbee.

• It is dead hard to beat this guy in a debate. Before you raise an eyebrow, ask me how is that? The husband has this innate ability to confuse people. You think, analyse and argue in a straight line, while this man will think, hop, skip, jump, climb another plane and throw a pebble at you from there.Some people will work hard to fit that pebble into their straight line of thought while others like me just go ‘Wha..?” and let it go

• The husband is a classic case of “You can take a tamilian out of Tamilnadu, but can never take Tamilnadu out of a tamilian”. Can have sambhar rice and chips any time of the day, best likes to dance to dabba kuthu songs, likes wife better in sari and bindi than any sexy western wear, quotes tamil movie jokes at slightest given chance..you get the idea? But surprisingly, NOT a Rajnikant fan..nor a Kolaveri fan either. Huh, wonders of nature!

I just realized I am bubbling with more material here, but that might cost me..emm..my marriage?

So, will stop.

Bye for now.

* Walks away singing – Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way… Oh what fun it is to write of husband and his ways…”  *

 

Paapu in Kiwiland – II

Hi there,

Sorry, sorry..am late late. Amma is to be blamed, okay? I always try to open the laptop and she quickly distracts me away from it.

You guys liked my post last time, didn’t you? I knew it Now, Let me tell you what all we did in the ‘South Island’ of this Newzee…umm..New Zealand. Ready?

Once we got out of the plane here, Appa promptly went and rented a car for us. They buckled me up in that stupid car seat again and off we went. Now, I have to be honest here. The ‘North Island’ was great, but the ‘South Island’ was so much more beautiful! It was like walking into those postcard pictures. Nature at its best. Gorgeous and Pristine ( Ok, I borrowed these words that Amma kept saying all the time).

We got down so many times at so many spots for pictures I was tired of posing, so I just bolted out into the road whenever they took me out

The first day in South Island, Appa took us to this place which had a BIG BIG boat. Amma told me it is called a ‘ship’ and that we were going on the ‘Milford Sound Cruise’. I liked it with any name anyway and got in cheerily.

The cruise ship had so many uncles and aunties. But, unfortunately no little ones my size. I was the only one Anyway, I sat up on Appa’s shoulder and got to the top most deck. The ship starting moving and then the view got so awesome! I have never seen anything like that anywhere before. Everyone seemed to feel the same too. So many waterfalls, cascading down the cliff faces – I watched around with my mouth open.

Everyone clicked their cameras like crazy.Appa was the craziest though. When the ship moved close to one of the waterfalls, he went and stood right under the roaring mist. He came back to the deck all drenched and shivering and Amma made fun of his dripping state.But, but..I was hungry and grumpy by then. So, no laugh, only cry.

Soon, hot soup and warm biscuits arrived and all was well.

I know my Appa-Amma are ..umm..loony sometimes. They do scary things and scream their lungs out , but still do it anyway. I don’t understand them some days. The next few days were such.

First, I was with Appa and Amma got into this red color boat ( they called it ‘Shotover Jet’) with a bunch of others. The driver took off at great speeds, and I heard the people shouting so loud! The boat swirled and took 360 degree turns many times, jumped with sudden jerks and all that looked very scary to me.

However, Amma came back smiling and thrilled. Then, when I thought it was done, Appa handed me over to Amma and got into the same boat to do the same too! Why? Beats me.

After that, the next day, we went to this place where they did this thing called ‘Bungy Jumping’. Appa held me while Amma went in to do it first. She stood on top of the bridge ( 140 feet above a flowing river).

That spec of blue up on the bride is Amma

Those professional people tied a rope to her legs and brought her close to the edge. I was watching it all from a distance. It looked way too dangerous for Amma to be standing at the edge on the bridge like that. Amma looked scared too, she never waved or smiled well either. And then, she jumped!!!!

Thank God for that rope, she did not fall into the river. Instead, she kept swinging by the rope hung upside down.

I wanted to cry, but Appa was happily cheering for her. So, decided to wait and see what happens next. A raft came on the river and pulled her into it, untied the legs too. She was safe and free now. Phew! How I was worried.  I went running to her the moment she came back. Crazy Amma! But, I must say..she is brave and I am kind of proud of her

And then, Appa went up the bridge to do the same. Sigh.

The next day we drove down on a long road for hours and reached a place surrounded by mountains – snow mountains! The special place ( called “Mt.Cook”) had some really special weather to offer.The winds blew at such speeds, I could hardly walk! I was almost blown over when Appa grabbed me tight and wrapped me up in a sling. Then, they started walking on a hike trail. The wind almost pushed them against the faces, but they still kept walking. I held on snugly, didn’t complain. However, Amma looked annoyed and grumbled how stubborn Appa was on deciding to take the hike in that weather. Anyway, the views were fantastic and worth the effort I guess

The next morning the wind gods had quietened down. The place looked so much more appealing.  After a scrumptious breakfast at an amazing place facing the snow mountains, we got into the car for our last and final destination – ‘Christ Church’.

Views Enroute..

Hours before we reached the place, I overheard Amma-Appa talking about how guilty they feel about not having taken anywhere specific to entertain me. Hehehe. They had no idea how much fun I was having anyway. But, the talk about something exclusively for me sounded great! So, I kept my spirits high and waited.

As I walked into that gate, I saw pictures of so many birds and animals and instantly knew – It was a Zoo! Yay!

The big white swan followed me, the little Kangaroo ( or was it wallaby) came close and nudged me, The Kiwi pecked with its long beak and stared right at me, monkeys jumped and giggled at me. Oh, what fun..! But, you know what was my favorite part? Being chased by a group of tiny ducklings! They sneaked under the fence, slid behind the bars and somehow made their way to where I was walking..really! I was amused at first, but quite scared later. That is when I clung on to Appa and never let go

I came out clapping and cheering from there – still cannot get out the ‘duckieee’ and the ‘Kiwiii’ from my head.

The last day, we went to this place called the “ International Antarctic Centre”. New Zealand being the closest to the South pole ( I am just saying what I heard, don’t ask me more), has a fantastic place to showcase it to visitors. We saw penguins feeding on fish…

…watched a 4D movie on them, experienced a fake snow storm and generally had a nice time. I didn’t quite like it though. Especially because Amma brought me back to square one, whenever I tried to escape and run in those huge corridors

The big adventure was all done, though I wanted some more. But, by the time we got into the big plane that evening, I was tired and sleeping sound.

Which reminds me..I am tired and sleepy now..

Thanks for reading okay?

Tata and Take care.

Oh, and keep smiling ..like this, see?

Love,

Paapu

 

Paapu in Kiwiland – I

Hi there,

I am Paapu and I assume you know me already.

If Amma is right, you like to read about me more than anything else here! So, I secretly got here to write about my latest adventures today. Amma is in the kitchen looking away. Appa is in his own world with his laptop anyway. Let me type fast fast before they tell me its bedtime.

So, some days back Appa and Amma packed some big big bags with many many shirts and pants. I pulled out a few and pushed in a few else to help them, you know. Finally we took them all and went to this huge place full of..guess what? Panes! ( Ok, Planes. But I like to call them Panes) We got on one of them planes and I got a seat of my own! Appa-Amma seemed so happy that the flight was not full and they got an extra seat without having to pay. Anyway, I just stood there near the window and showed Amma each cloud that was passing by. She kept saying we were going to ..where was that..Newzee..oh, New Zealand. I did not care where we went. It was fun to be inside the plane! I got to eat cookies and fruits anytime I wanted , played with those pretty ladies in uniforms and dozed off whenever I felt like.

After a long long long time ( 13 hours they said), it started to get boring inside. I screamed and yelled to be let out. And, it worked! The plane came down to the ground and they opened the doors. I skipped and hopped outside into fresh air, finally!

As soon as we came out in the open , I remember Amma jumping and squealing, ” This is so much like Switzerland in summer!” No clue what that meant, but I like to see Amma jumping, so I smiled.

Appa rented a car and I was strapped in the baby seat. I hate that thing. Argh! But, Amma sat by me all the time and sang silly songs. Appa joined too at times and I mostly kept giggling.

The view outside my car window was great too.Green grasslands everywhere…rolling mountains and blooming flowers.

Oh..oh..those green grasslands had hundreds of pastures. Those pastures had hundreds and hundreds of cows! Even more sheeps! Many pastures were filled with just deers! Can you imagine? I kept pointing at them and telling Appa-Amma to look every time one passed by. But they stopped looking after sometime. I kept showing and naming the animals anyway.

They said we were in the ‘North Island’of New Zealand. I don’t understand what that means. But, I liked jumping on the hotel beds and eating at different places every single time. Also, the restaurants mostly do not have kids high chair. So, I got to sit on regular chair with Appa-Amma and create a big mess I expected to be scolded. But, the uncles and aunties all around were so nice. Never a frown.

I loved the evening walk in that place called Auckland. The streets were buzzing with people. They walked around happily as if everyone had unlimited supply of lollipops. Nice. Oh, I got to eat ice cream with Appa-Amma. It was soooooooo good, I kept saying ‘Yummy!!’ at every bite while everyone looked at me and laughed.

At this other place called Rotarua, we stayed with an uncle and auntie. ( Bed and breakfast or something like that). They were older, but they loved me so much! They actually gave me lollipops and also sweet blueberry muffins! I saw Appa Amma eating so much for breakfast there. They took hours to finish. Looks like they found it all yummy too

That same place we stayed had a special swimming pool. Appa said it is a ‘Geothermal Spa’. Whatever it is, was wonderful! We all wore swimming dress and got into it every evening. The water was very warm and nice . But, Amma said I could stay only for 15 minutes because the water was from a ‘hot sulphur spring’. The fumes could be bad if inhaled longer. But really, what fun! I splashed and chuckled and kicked my legs in there. Appa Amma seemed so happy to do that too.

The ‘Thermal springs’ seems to be everywhere around there. We visited this special place called ‘Wai-O-Tapu’ ( funny name no? Me and Amma kept repeating it and laughing hard)which had huge crater size geothermal pools. The mud was bright orange while the water was strong green. Fumes kept coming out from them. Strange, I thought, but beautiful.

One bright afternoon, we went to this special place which looked dark and dingy. Amma said it is called a ‘ Cave’. I held on to Amma’s finger and walked along with other people. They all wore headlamps and torches. I was a bit scared but never showed it. And then, there was a river..inside the cave! That guide uncle made us sit on a boat and it slowly started moving on the soft water. It was so silent, so cool and so mystic. Then suddenly, the torch lights went off! All of them. It was pitch dark..and the guide uncle asked us to look up at the roof of the caves. You know what I saw? So many many stars!!! But, Amma Appa kept saying they were glowworms on the cave roof and how spectacular they looked in the dark.

But, I know they were stars and kept searching for the moon. The boat kept moving slowly in the dark…and I thought it was night already..so, fell asleep. Amma held on to me tight  and that felt good. When I finally woke up, we were walking out of the dark cave. What do you know..it was still a bright afternoon out there

The next day, we packed up and got into a plane again on another short journey. Appa said we are going to ‘South Island’.

I was happy in the ‘North Island’ and did not know why we had to go to the ‘South Island’ now. Anyway, more on that later.

My eyes feel droopy and Amma says it’s my bedtime.

Tata now. Will come back with more stories of my adventure soon. You know, there are Kiwis and kangaroos coming up ! So, come back again ok?

Ba-Bye for now.

 

Got it!

The call came exactly 26 minutes back and the voice said “Congratulations, welcome to our team!”

Yes, yes, yes ..Got the job!!

This isn't my picture, but I am her right now

As I told you on the last update ( noticed the last part of the post below?), each one of your wishes and comments helped me get through this patch of thorns, unscratched.

Thank you, very very much. You have no idea how much you helped.

So, lesson learnt – Have hope. Stay determined. Come what may

I am off on a vacation, which was planned way back, starting tomorrow. Got to wipe off the happy tears and start packing for the fun that awaits!

Stay happy my dearies, because everything does fall in place when you think it cannot get worse. See?

 

It is cloudy..but still beautiful.

Every once a while there comes a time when you revel in the happiness that is life. You feel gifted to be in your own shoes and look forward to the grand plans that lay ahead.

But, when you are smiling and dreaming, life can throw a rude shocker at your face. “Wake up you stupid! Stop smiling!!” ..it can yell out.

I would not have believed that line myself ..until yesterday.

I walked in to my workplace all cheerful, ready to tackle the tasks for the day. What I wasn’t prepared, however, was to have all my ‘tasks’ taken away just like that.

I lost my job yesterday.

Re-organization and re-structuring were the reasons they gave. The blow came really hard on a bunch of us unsuspecting people.

I gasped a little, but held a straight face. The VP’s of two departments who sat in front of me made very kind faces. I broke a weak smile and acknowledged.

I must have sighed more than half dozen times and adjusted my hair more than that, but nothing could stop the shivering.

Then, there came a silver lining.

The director of my department as well as my manager had spoken highly of me and my skills. They felt I was a valuable resource. If this role is eliminated, I could be a good fit someplace else in the same company. “Would  you like to interview for the other role in that other department?”, they asked.

“Sure” was my reply. Any piece of lumber to stay afloat when you are sinking..

Few phone calls later with execs of that other department, the silver lining looked brighter and more beautiful. The new role looked exciting, in fact more than the one I was relieved  from!

The interview rounds are scheduled for tomorrow. I am nervous, but I have stopped shivering…a sense of calm has taken over.

The rude shocker did jolt me. But, I am still smiling. “Now, take that Life!” I want to say, “Sorry, I cannot but stay happy”

My heart goes out to those others who lost their jobs too last morning, who were the only bread winners to the family, along with a mortgage to pay. May they find their dream job very soon.

Meanwhile, I am preparing for the interview tomorrow.

Also, praying hard I make it. Will you do too, for me please?

 

[ Updated to add:

All rounds of interview went pretty well. I was seemingly confident and nicely camouflaged my nervousness..or so I think

I am still waiting to hear the outcome though. Just been told that it might take a couple more days. The wait is killing , but an insider information updated me that things seem to be moving in my favor!

I do not want to count my eggs before they hatch or get too excited. Will wait until they inform me officially. And, of course, will post the result here as soon as I have it - whatever that may be.

It has not been easy for the past few days. But the one thing that kept me going was the goodwill and heartwarming wishes from you all out there. I am truly Thankful to each one of your comments and emails. You have no idea how much you helped!   ]

 

A Favorite Moment with you ..Paapu

You sit on my lap, close against my chest
While I wrap you in my arms as I can best

With all my body, I make a cocoon
Pull you closer and you slip in soon

The feet draw together and you snuggle in
Smiling a little and loving the warmth within

Like that we sit, rest of the world withdrawn
And it brings back memories of the days bygone

In my pregnant belly , nestling just like this
Cozying up the same and feeling me kiss

It must have been similar, the touch and the love
My fingers caressing each time I sensed you move

You were the size of my palm then, wow..
Have grown to be taller than my arm now..

The eyes go moist and my lips smile to say “I Love You“
You look up, hold tight and softly repeat “Aye Laayooo“

 

In the mood of being vain

Small notes I wish to leave at office desks, anonymously :

—————————————

Dear guy in white T-shirt,

You are tall. You are good looking. You have an impressive gait and personality. But, why the white T-shirt always..every day since the 4 odd years I have seen you? And the pants..Oh, the pants. Green, red, yellow and orange. Really? I wonder whether you wear the same white top +Color bottom combo at home and during vacations too. Eh?

—————————————

Dear girl in velvety pants,

Agreed that you have a good figure and can carry off velvet pants ( in green mostly) quite well. In fact, I was impressed when I saw you for the first time. But, come on! It is done and over now. Give the velvety ones a break. They must also be tired of endowing your butt almost every day.The normal pants will look great too, promise!

—————————————

Dear guy in blue formal shirt,

I have never seen you in anything but a blue formal shirt and a black-ish trouser till date. And I have known you for more than 5 years. Smart and talented, but yet so self cautious always! Let go a little and smile heartily sometimes. Maybe that will help you ease up from inside and outsides too ( I hope), with another color for a shirt – white or black, at the least, may be?

—————————————

Dear lady in long skirt,

The long skirts are nice. Okay. They are comfortable too. Maybe. But, there are gazillion choices of clothes out there. Do you know? Also, do you know that wearing long skirts with loose mismatched top gives sore eyes. Not to you, but the ones who see you like that every single day.

—————————————

Dear girl in party wear,

Where’s the party tonight? No, seriously, that’s my question for you each day. Walking around in chic knee length dresses and perfect pointy heels  at work, I wonder whether you have a party scheduled each and every evening? And how  do you get time to wear so many layers of make up and curl the hair with luminous gel like that every day? Okay, am a little jealous. But, I still wonder..

—————————————

Dear guy with the faded look,

You earn more than me. I know since you have a bigger/better title. I can afford an iron box, so I know you can too.  Why don’t you go get one? Coming to work in faded, wrinkled, hapless shirt and pants day after day after day is boring. I agree you have a friendly  ‘Whatsup dude?’ attitude to go with, but wearing those pathetic baggy-type pants with wrinkled shirt even to  corporate presentations ..umm, not really cool dude.

—————————————

Dear lady in cute dress,

I recently found out that you are a mother of two teenage boys and I was dumbstruck! You hardly look more than 35 and have a figure to die for. The pencil waist and lustrous skin..sigh! To top that, you have one of the most beautiful dressing sense. Cute little skirts, flowy dresses, superbly paired shirts and pants, unique looking accessories, one-of-a-kind sweaters, comfortable and yet elegant footwear..oh, the list goes on. I envy you.

—————————————

Dear guy in  flashy colors,

You are young, well built, muscular , have a handsome face and hairstyle too. You are Indian and I know you secretly plan to run away to Bollywood one day and become a hero. But, spare us your fashion experiments please? I am sure the dress designers in your Bollywood movie will get you enough combinations of flashy yellow and red with sparkly golden shoes to go with. However, in the office, especially at meetings, the blinding colors hurt the eyes sometimes. Yes, they really do.

—————————————

[ Disclaimer : All I do is look  at people and judge their dressing sense at the work place you think? Well, no. I look away and do my work too…sometimes ]

 

Words and Wisdom

Me: Cow Says?

Paapu: Moo Moo

Me: Pig Says?

Paapu: Oink Oink

Me: Sheep Says?

Paapu: Baa Baa

Me: Amma Says?

Paapu: Chittu !   ( one of her favorite  pet names)

Me: Appa Says?

Paapu: Grrrrrr   ( Yes, I try to be a fair when I teach. Ahem)

—————-

Parts of the body, Numbers 1 to 10, The alphabet song, Names of the animals and a dozen rhymes are all told beautifully well.  But, the moment her dad walks in,  the girl jumps up to call him ‘Amma!’ (Mom).

“No, you silly girl. That is Appa”, I say and grin. She is till not sure who is who

Good. Not all is lost..there is hope

—————-

Paapu is now like that little green parrot which repeats all you say and more. Say a word to her and it stays with her. Mostly comes back with added Paapuness

Serious convo with birdies up the sky.

I remember Comfy writing down the Buzz baby words some time back and I had much fun  playing the guessing game. Borrowing the idea from her, I present a sub set of Paapu’s vocabulary here. Guess if you may and then go to the comment section to view the answers.

Do tell me your score, ok? But hey..No Cheating.

1. Shoooshh (English)
2. Thappal (English)
3. Jakkeeet (English)
4. Chako-layit (English)
5. Nanni (Tamil)
6. Boi (English)
7. Annana (English)
8. Oooom (English)
9. Thawbeyi (English)
10. Ottay (Kannada)
11. Gapes (English)
12. Kwillil (English)
13. Fowow (English)
14. Ka (English)
15. Tee (English)

Want a ride home anyone?

 

Bulleting it out

I am in grave danger of being smacked in the head for not having posted a thing here since many weeks. Although virtual, sometimes those smacks pain no less . No, really!

So, here are some very random leaves out of the days in my life lately. Bullet points maketh a post too. Yes ?

• The festival season is here! Navarathri, as always, is all about colorful doll displays, dinner invites, pretty sarees and chic jewelry, super yumm sweets ( think Jalebi, Rasmalai, Badam halwa!) and spicy sundal. Navarathri is also about Dandia dancing in gorgeous lehengas. So much of talking and laughing out loud that I recently gave myself a sore throat. The good kind of sore throat

•  I sing Carnatic Classical and I do it decently well, if not exceptionally great. My old, tethered song book with ripped pages and brown edges comes out only during Navarathri. Am just so happy to sing some of my old favorites. But when my memory fails me with some complex compositions, am very much ashamed. I profusely apologize to all music Gods (?) for having failed and for having ignored them all year round. The scenario repeats again the next year anyway, the book having gone back into the rack once again

• My MIL is visiting. She is staying with her daughter (my SIL) who lives 7 miles away. She calls us regularly just to ask “How are you doing?”.She visits us when she wants to play with Paapu. She comes over when I have guests coming over and helps with the cooking. She comes when I am too held up at work and my home needs some care. I am beginning to realize she is one of the best things that happened to me with marriage and I cannot thank my luck enough for that. There are itsy bitsy complaints, but there is a lot of warmth and love too..I can see .

• We have a newborn in the family. Cousin PP, who also lives nearby delivered her second offspring – a bundle of buttery soft, pink cheeked baby boy. The highlight of the news though, was that she had a normal delivery in spite of the C-section during her first delivery 2 years ago. It is called VBAC ( visit link if you need info). Neither many women opt for it nor many doctors agree to go with it. Also, she did it without epidural or pain medication! When I was gushing over how great her achievement was, she calmly tells me “All credit to my husband. He was the one who insisted I should go without epidural. Could not have done without him”. I left my next words float away. How can the husband decide whether the wife should / shouldn’t take pain medication? Isn’t it the sole right of the woman in labor herself? I was told she cried and pleaded for epidural, while the husband stood by his words “No, you can manage without it”. The husband looked at her, beaming with pride. And, I sat there appalled.

•  When you are chasing a deadline at work, when you are clamoring to get things done, when all you  are thinking is work all day and even dream of it in the night ( argh!), when you pay less attention to food and more to your computer, when you feel like you are always running ….a simple “I LOVE YOU” note from the hubby can jolt you back to sense. Especially when it is most unexpected and much needed. Deadlines can wait while I smile and pick the phone to whisper it back to him

•  A nine month old is a baby, but a nineteen month old is NOT a baby. Heck, it is easier to type than to accept. I have just that one nursing at night still going on and I cannot seem to bring myself to wean Paapu off. I still mash food for her sometimes, when I know she can handle normal food perfectly, even without the molars. I get protective when hubby plays rough with her ( read hang her head down holding feet for example) when I know she is laughing and having a good time. I worry incessantly when she skips dinner altogether and just gorges on fruits or cheese once a while. I know and I am still in denial  My baby is no baby anymore. She is a little girl.

•  The wife of a friend has been staying over for few weeks. She moved from east to west coast owing to a job and her husband of 1.5 years is forced to stay alone for the time being. She is a picture of cheerfulness and goes along with everyone like a charm. But, that hint of sadness in her eyes always showed. One fine night, the husband just flew in and surprised the heck out of her! ( yes, we all witnessed the happy tears and jumping). And, the sadness in the eyes vanished, just like that.  Sigh! I love Love

So, what’s been happening on your side ?

Wish you all happy festivities, with Diwali in  tow next !

See you around, k?