Notes from a harried mom

The Good Devil?

2012-01-05T05:55:00.000-08:00

What will happen if we go to hell amma?
The devil will roast you over a fire forever arjun
But if we do bad things, we go to hell no?
Yes.
So the devil is a good guy?
How is that?
He is roasting only the bad people no? So he is good!!

Hmmm...am i the one who has got it wrong?
;p

Still here :)

2011-11-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Ok...so i have a little bit of work to do in the work-blog balance bit of my life. I am addressing my imaginary still existing readers, i know...but i hope you all come back! Here is a little bit of junjunism to remind you why...

Jun on the phone with his grandma :

Ammamma, i wish you were a robot!!
Shocked ammamma says why???
Then you can live and live and live ammamma!!

Ammamma duly overwhelmed with love...as am i ;)

Hindi Exam!

2011-09-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

We studied and studied and studied some more and finally when we went to sleep, arjun says,

" Amma. i feel i have been studying for days and months and years and i have become an old man now"

Couldnt have put it better myself.

:)

My star!

2011-08-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Going through the Induction Program at work, I had drawn a star next to a point i wanted to remember. Jun goes through my book, sees it and exclaims in pure unadulterated pride,

'They gave you a STAR at work amma???"

Not yet Jun, not yet :p

I owe, I owe...

2011-08-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

...so off to work i go!!

I have been dying to say this from the day i saw this line .... and now after seven years, I really am a WORKING woman again.

So pleased, happy, super excited and slightly weak in the knees.

Thank you God and my best friend for making this happen.

:)

Despicable me?

2011-07-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Jun and I decided to eat out as Maddy wasn't coming home for lunch. The place we went to had the Chinese zodiac with the whole zoo and their characteristics as the table mats. Arjun ofcourse, read each one out loudly and then compared mine and his.

Amma, it says that i am romantic but you are NOT romantic. What is romantic?

ummm....being romantic means being very loving. (what could i say to a six year old??)

Oh amma...they have written so correctly!!! I am so loving and you are always scolding me!! You are definitely NOT romantic. So correct!!

:)

Scary but true

2011-07-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

Its exam time again and this is how we did it!!

Me : Arjun, stages of a seed?

Jun : seed, seedling, plant, adult tree, dead tree

Me : Right. Stages of a bird?

Jun : Egg, chick, adult bird, dead bird.

Now THAT was definitely not in the book!!

My son has branded me...

2011-07-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Amma, you are a mind changer!!!

You are always changing your mind!!!

Added to this is the smug-i-am-not-alone-in-this-world-smile from the husband and i can think of a couple of more things i could change my mind about!!

grrr.

Happiness

2011-07-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

...is a remote controlled helicopter!!

I dont know if the person who bought it for him knows how happy he has made Jun....

Been a while since i saw him so ecstatic over something.

Happiness is contagious!

Amen

;)

Truly Blue

2011-07-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Never knew i had it in me
To be so patient, so kind, so true
Never knew i had it in me
To be so cruel, so selfish, so blue

The madness drives me up the wall
And on the love, i gently float again
Sometimes so tired, so weary, so lost
I wonder...
What have i gained?
What has it cost?

Edit : Was going for angst....i suspect i have successfully foisted it on my readers....i cant help laughing when i read this now...but swore i would never delete a post .. so...peace!!

The emotional chair!

2011-07-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

I usually watch television sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa with my feet stretched out.

Arjun plonks himself ON me in the exact same position and exclaims : "Amma, you are my favourite chair!"

I never thought that being treated like a piece of furniture could make me feel so special!

:p

Sheesh.

2011-07-01T04:13:00.000-07:00

I hope to be a working woman again (the kind that actually gets paid) by the time July ends.

Am keeping my fingers crossed but in the meantime, I thought it would be correct to start talking to Jun about that fact that he will be able to see me only after six in the evening and the fact that he will have to be in his grandmother's care till then.

Now a lot of people have told me that it takes time for a child to adjust to suddenly not having a mom around ... it might lead to some tantrums and the like. So it was with great trepidation that i told jun about me looking out for a job and the fact that I might start working soon and he would have to be in his grandmother's house till i come and pick him up each day.

His reaction was "oh, ok!'

I was quite sure it hadn't sunk in till that evening when we visited my mother-in-law and arjun, on seeing his cousin, runs to him screaming " You know what, my mom is also going to office so i am going to come and play with you EVERYDAY!!! and he danced around whooping with delight!

I suppose i should be feeling relieved.

But if i have to be honest, i am a little broken hearted.

:{

The Proposal

2011-06-27T06:28:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah...his first proposal and he is all of six years old.

The chosen fair maiden is my brother-in-law's wife(cough*cough).

The proposal was actually made to the chosen one's son!!

And when I spoke to her and said,'Hey, heard you got a proposal"?

She says : "Oh no..it was actually a decision"

He had apparently told her son " I am going to marry S periyamma"

Now i know the prototype...fair, pretty, older and much married woman!!

My future daughter-in-law!!!

Sigh.

Why God made the sun...

2011-06-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

...so we don't waste electricity during the day!!

what did you think?!!!

;p

First things first!

2011-04-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Having an Easter hangover, i was humming a hymn to myself which went 'Change my heart oh Lord, Make it ever new..."

Suddenly Jun says, "Not heart amma....then points to my eczema scarred hand and says "Change your skin first!!"

:)

Facts

2011-04-07T06:37:00.001-07:00

My son is a teenage drama queen.
Cries at the drop of a hat.
Has a temper that will put...well, anyone's to shame.
Its his way or the cryway.

But this is what his progress report has to say in a space marked 'Special Talent'

"Is dynamic, has a vibrant imagination and clarity in expression with a delightful sense of humour"

And i just can't stop smiling.

:)

A gentleman by force!

2011-03-02T01:53:00.000-08:00

I am sure anybody watching maddy and me get into our car will think chivalry is alive and kicking.

He first comes over to my side of the car, opens the door for me, closes it after i get in and only then does he go to the driver's side and get in himself.

I bet the last thing they would think of is that the lock on the driver's side of the door is jammed and therefore the car can only be opened from the passenger's side!!

Am enjoying it while it lasts! ;p

You know magic may not be his thing...

2011-02-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

...when part of his trick involves telling the audience

"Now, all of you close your eyes!!"

;p

Why girls have all the fun!!

2011-02-09T22:33:00.000-08:00

This story comes from my sister.
She was changing my niece's diaper when jun apparently noticed the obvious.

So he asks her, "Why is she different?"
My sister says, 'Because she is a girl?!"
Arjun then says" It must be more comfortable this way no?"!!

:) :)

Id Mubarak!!

2011-01-31T22:54:00.001-08:00

Its monthly exam time and arjun is busy revising for his tests.

One of his lessons is 'Festivals' and i am in the process of checking if he remembers anything his teachers taught him. He does quite well till this question :

Me : Jun, what do people wish each other on Id?

Jun : *blink*blink

Me : Come on Jun, if you are a Muslim and its Id and you see another Muslim, what would you say to him??????

Jun : Hello?

:) :)

Perceptions!

2011-01-22T22:19:00.000-08:00

Hit the sales in town yesterday evening and i picked up a lovely halter neck outfit which could be paired with a pair of jeans.

Totally thrilled with my purchase, i couldnt wait to get home, try it on and get the reactions of my men. Five minutes after i am back home, i twirl in front of junjun wearing the new top and look at him expectantly.

" Lovely amma, you look just like you are in that Australia Masterchef no?

I have apparently, bought myself an apron

sigh!

January 18

2011-01-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

And then he turned six!!

Conversation yesterday at the baker's

Jun, what would you like written on your cake? Happy Birthday darling arjun??

"No Amma, happy birthday to the BEST arjun"

Thankfully, i convinced him out of that and we settled on 'happy birthday arjun'

But cannot help agree with him, so...

Happy Birthday to my BEST arjun :)

:p

:)

2011-01-07T02:51:00.000-08:00

Amma, can you just switch on that exhausting fan please?

:)
:)

Did she really think....

2011-01-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

...that she would make a sale by saying "something for your dark circles, madam?"

hmmpphh!

Size does matter!

2010-12-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

Our home in Hyderabad was much bigger than the one we have moved into in Chennai. While the new one is nice in its own way, i wondered what arjun would feel about having a living come dining room as opposed to two different rooms for each of the areas. My fears were laid to rest when i overheard him telling his cousin,

" You know what, our new living room is so big that the dining table also fits in there!!"

The glass is obviously half full :)

The worrier!

2010-12-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Jun watches his dad getting ready to go to work and suddenly bursts into a wail

" How will i become a father and go to office and work? I dont know anything!!"

We convinced him it was perfectly okay to be almost six years old and still not know what to do in office.

:)

The Storyteller

2010-12-10T23:02:00.000-08:00

Jun : Amma, shall i tell you a story?
Me : Sure Jun
*Silence*
Me : What happened?
Jun : I am making it for you!!
Me : Oh wow, your own story? i can't wait!!

After two minutes

Jun : ok amma, i have maken the story but its very short.
Me : Thats ok

Jun : One day, a dinosaur was walking in the forest. Then it saw a squirrel in the hollow of a tree. It ran towards the tree to eat it up and just as it tried to bite the squirrel, the squirrel shut the window of the hollow and the dinosaur bit the window and broke all its teeth. Only two broken teeth were remaining so the dinosaur went away sadly and the squirrel was very happy.

Jun : U liked it Amma?

Me : Loved it Jun!!

Did you? :)

How rain happens

2010-12-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

We said goodbye to Hyderabad and flew into the most glorious sunset ever... (very filmy but true!) Junjun was as awed as the rest of us till he suddenly said "Oh, now i understand"

Understand what jun?

How rain happens amma.

How?

The sun gives water to the clouds and the clouds spit them out and it rains.

'weatherman' is hereby officially struck out from the prospective professions list!

:)

I do not recommend..

2010-12-01T22:24:00.000-08:00

...discussing the chinese almanac in front of your kids. You will have them informing all unsuspecting visitors,

"Did you know that my mom is a DRAGON!!!!??? SCARY NO?"

And as if that was not bad enough, "And my dad is a RABBIT....FUNNY NO'??

Scary.

:)

For the Record

2010-11-15T05:16:00.000-08:00

Fireflies by Owlcity - The first song that jun knows that i don't!!

Toe curling moment of the day - Jun singing this song totally off key with fake accent and all!!

My heir in every sense of the word...

;p

Stopped!!

2010-11-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

Me : Jun, by the time the big hand reaches twelve and the small hand reaches two, you better have a clean, empty plate.

Jun : No, no, that is too soon...the hands are moving too fast!

Me : Yes, Jun so hurry up!

Jun : No, make it wait.

Me : (Philosophically) Time does not wait for anyone Jun!!

Jun : If you take out the batteries, it will!!!!!!

Me : *Blink* Blink* (pretty dumbly i might add)

:)

Seven!

2010-11-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today maddy and i complete seven years of being married. They say life is a series of seven year cycles and i am beginning to believe it because, here we are, back in chennai, where it all started!!

Jun watches everybody wishing us and then ofcourse, has to ask that million dollar question

"So when you get married, you become older twice a year"?

:)

We actually had mixed responses to that one!!

Catching Up!

2010-10-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

So much catching up to do....our first loooooong drive as a family, arjun's new school and our hunt for a new home. Too much to write, too little time.

Evening - car comes back from the service centre and early the next day we drive down from hyderabad to chennai!! Lovely time except for arjun asking us every ten minutes "are we in chennai now?"

Arjun's new school is just that - new. Will qualify it as time goes by...but i have no complaints as of now. Arjun is very thrilled that he is again put into I 'C'...yup...his priorities are a little different :)

My search for a life partner was a piece of cake compared to my current hunt for a reasonably priced decent home in Chennai. It doesnt worry me that i am not over thrilled about the houses in my budget. It scares me that even the ones way above my budget are so awful!!!

As for right now, we are re-enacting the story of the Arab and the camel with my in-laws....i suspect they are house hunting for us much more aggressively than we are! ;p

I wonder...

2010-10-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

..if anything can feel worse than the sound of car scraping pillar when you are the one driving.

Sad. Angry. Sad. Very Angry.

Damn!

Winds of Change...

2010-10-06T22:35:00.000-07:00

...are shoving us around again!

The intention of this post is not to communicate how much i hate leaving hyderabad; even if it is to go to chennai. It is, ofcourse, about something more entertaining :)

Arjun does entrance exam in prospective school and comes to meet me.

Jun, you took ten minutes to finish that...are you sure you did everything? Did you write correctly AND beautifully?

Yes amma, thats why i took TEN minutes, other wise i would have finished earlier.

:) smug smile from mom :) But the story does not end there.

Jun : Amma, i really like this school

Me : Really? Why da?

Jun : The teachers have such nice faces!!

Me : The teachers have such nice FACES?!! (I must have stressed 'faces' a bit too much coz jun's next reconciliatory remark was...)

Jun : Their other body parts are also nice.

:) just when i think i've heard it all! :)

Whozzzatttt??

2010-09-28T23:21:00.000-07:00

The revision for term exams continued...

Arjun, what is October 2nd celebrated as?

Gandhi Jayanthi's birthday!!! :) :)

Dabangg!!!

2010-09-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Ten minutes into the movie and arjun says, 'Amma, see EXIT is there......lets GO!!'

Obviously my 'I-am-a-Salman-Khan-fan' genes haven't been passed on.

Secretly relieved!! ;p

Hairy Tales!

2010-09-13T02:06:00.001-07:00

We have TERM EXAMS coming up next week. So i asked Jun to tell me three sentences about his body

He answered :

1. I like my legs very much.
2. They help me run faster than a rocket.
3. I also like the hair on them.

I obviously freaked out at point number three and gave him a thorough examination till i showed him that there was NO hair. He said, " no amma, it comes in the night only"

No more revision questions till i get over that answer!!!

Happy I got to read this now!!

2010-09-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd finger paint more and point my finger less
I would do less correcting and more connecting
I'd take my eyes off my watch and watch with my eyes
I'd care to know less and know to care more
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites
I'd stop playing serious and seriously play
I'd run through more fields and gaze at more stars
I'd do more hugging and less tugging
I'd be firm less often and affirm much more
I'd build self esteem first and a house later
I'd teach less about the love of power
And more about the power of love.

- Dianne Loomans

Happy Teacher's Day!!

2010-09-05T03:29:00.001-07:00

Me : U know Junjun, ammamma was my teacher in school.

Jun : Really? When will you be my teacher amma?

Me : I cant be a teacher jun!!

Jun : Why? You dont know anything?

:)

Getting Tripped On!!

2010-09-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

She : (Drooling over stud in the mall) wow!!...

He : Oh, THAT guy? His third wife jumped off their balcony day before yesterday. Don't you remember him from the newspaper?

She : Blink blink in horror...

Then GETS it, grins and whacks the He....and they lived happily ever after :)

(hopefully ;p)

If

2010-09-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

So felt like doing this when i saw it on wanderlust's page .

Its nice to be dreamy sometimes :)

- If I were a season, I would be Spring
- If I were a month, I would be September
- If I were a day of the week, I would be Friday
- If I were a time of day, I would be Evening
- If I were a planet, I would be Saturn
- If I were a direction, I would be East
- If I were a tree, I would be a Coconut tree
- If I were a flower, I would be a Gerebra
- If I were a fruit, I would be a Mango
- If I were a land animal, I would be a Horse
- If I were a sea animal, I would be a Sea horse
- If I were a bird, I would be a Kingfisher
- If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a comfy sofa!
- If I were a liquid, I would be lemon tea!
- If I were a stone, I would be a Ruby
- If I were a kind of weather, I would be Cloudy
- If I were a musical instrument, I would be a Guitar
- If I were a color, I would be Red
- If I were a facial expression, I would be a 'hunh'? !!
- If I were an emotion, I would be Gratitude
- If I were a sound, I would be the laughter of a child
- If I were an element, I would be Water
- If I were a car, I would be a Beetle
- If I were a food, I would Pasta!
- If I were a place, I would be Goa
- If I were a flavor, I would be Honey nut crunch!
- If I were a scent, I would be a male aftershave
- If I were an object, I would be a vase full of fresh flowers
- If I were a body part, I would be Ears! :)
- If I were a song, I would be "Walk the Line" by Johnny Ray Cash

What about you?

Some nice words

2010-08-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

" Children need love, especially when they don't deserve it " - Harold Hulbert

" Raising kids is part joy and part guerrilla warfare " - Ed Asner

" You spend 18 months teaching a child to stand up and walk and the next 18 years to get them to sit down and listen!! " - Jim Heffelfinger

You know you've put on weight when...

2010-08-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

...your neighbhour who sees you almost everyday, suddenly asks,
" You have some good news to share with me"?

sigh....

Career Choices

2010-08-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Amma, I want to be a cricketer!!

Oh wow...batting or bowling?

NO Amma, i want to be an UMPIRE!!

*******

Amma, i have been doing my homework for so long

OK take a break...come and help me fold my clothes

Amma, i like folding clothes; i think i can become a good maid

******

We are seriously reconsidering our - Let him be whatever he wants to be - attitude :)

Of Mice and Little Boys

2010-08-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

A few days back, I had taught junjun how to draw a cat easily and he was quite thrilled.

This morning, i asked him if he would like to learn to draw a mouse.

He said 'no, amma. I already know' and drew a perfect mouse for me.

Except, it was the kind that is attached to a computer!!

Love is...

2010-08-17T23:36:00.001-07:00

...doing little things that actually make life easier for the other person :)

Mithran

2010-08-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

I hope everybody has that one person in their life who has always been there for them.

Who has known you from before you were born.

Who has been a part of your growing up years, always making you feel so very special and loved unconditionally.

Who opened doors to new worlds.

Who saw in you things you would never have dreamed were possible.

Who actually put his money where his mouth is.

Who never judged. Who was always there...time and again.

Who was kind, funny, creative, immensely talented.

Who was always on your side.

Whose whole family enveloped you with their love.

Who never missed a birthday

Who chose to live life on his terms

Who did not let cancer stop him from continuing with life...that too with renewed vigour and zest

i hope with all my heart, that he knew how much he meant to me.

I hope, all of you are lucky enough to have had a Mithran Devanesen in your life

Love you Mithran Uncle, will miss you more than you can imagine.

Reality Bites ...and how!!

2010-07-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

I DONT WANT to go to school. I want to sit at home and do NOTHING like YOU!!

...and this was said in all earnestness!!

Anybody with a job for an hr professional in hyderabad, please contact me so i can repair my image. sigh!! I really thought he would be older before he got all ungrateful on me :(

The age bender!

2010-07-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

Me : Arjun, let me make it very clear...if you dont finish your homework, you are NOT going to that birthday party in the evening.

Jun : AMMA! You know something? When your birthday party is going on, do you know what i am going to do? I am going to CANCEL it!!

Me : Have you ever seen me have a birthday party?

Jun : No, but IF you do, i will cancel it and you know what will happen when i cancel it no? You will stay the same age!!!

I died laughing :)

Cricket Crazy Convertible!

2010-06-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

Maddy : So what car are you going to buy when you are all grown up?

Arjun : An LBW.

:)

Dont drink and drive!! - Jun Style!

2010-05-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

Driving around Bangalore's roads on a holiday, we regularly come across boards which say 'Dont drink and drive'

Arjun finds the need to explain them to us :

" See, we should not be drinking and driving. We should stop somewhere, drink up everything and THEN drive"

Cheers!! (and god help us!!)

The pleaser!

2010-04-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Amma, can i please play outside?

NO arjun, it is too hot!

Amma, please please please please?

Arjun, NO!!

Amma, please please, see, i am pleasing you so much no?

:)

Why i am worried arjun won't have any friends

2010-04-15T00:23:00.000-07:00

New boy on our corridor : Hi , I am Sunny!

Arjun : Sunny? What kind of a name is 'cloudy', 'sunny' and all?

And then there are some days...

2010-04-07T21:33:00.001-07:00

.... when you wouldnt think twice about handing over both the men in your life to the lowest bidder!

The Deccan Charger

2010-04-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

AMMA!! we just hit a four, no? why are they not showing the cheer girls??

!!

And he reads...

2010-03-30T21:39:00.000-07:00

...stuff he doesn't have to.

In the supermarket, at a decibel level that can put microphones out of business for good,

"AMMA, it says 'buy one get one FREE' !!! TAKE IT, TAKE IT!!"

sigh!

Why we just MIGHT...

2010-03-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

...be doing UKG all over again...

Me : Did you sing your nursery rhyme today?

Jun : A little bit

Me : A little bit? What happened?

Jun : I sang 'paanch choti chidiyan khathi thi anaar, one chidiya flew away and then there were four'

Me (definitely going a little pale) : That is supposed to be a hindi rhyme!! Where did all that English come from?????

Jun : I forgot amma!!!

Me : What did your teacher say?

Jun : She said, "do you know one two buckle my shoe"

Me : You sang that properly?

Jun : Yes

I dont quite believe him.

One for the road...almost.

2010-03-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

Nothing galls me as much as watching men relieve themselves in public.

Secondly, till i personally started supervising the laundry, i didnt realize that the briefs men wear are technically different from those made for women.

Both these facts came together in my head one morning as maddy and i were driving somewhere and yet again we saw a man doing it right out there for all and sundry to see!!

Me : Maddy!!!! i think i just found a solution to stop men from pissing in public!!!

Maddy : really? (grins)

Me : Yeah. They just have to stop making men's underwear in such a way that actually lets them do it without pulling their pants down!!

Maddy : Oh?

Me : Yeah. Dont you see...once the design is changed for good and does NOT facilitate this...well...umm ... whatever, no man will want to squat and do it right?

Maddy : Hmmm..ofcourse, that is considering that all these men who do it on the roads are actually wearing something inside.

Me : WHAT!!!Oh dear...ike that hunh?

Maddy : Yeah like THAT.

And thus ended yet another educational conversation with the husband.

:)

Depressed.

2010-03-04T03:06:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, two horrible things happened.

First, the plane crashed. Not in my part of the city but since we are not far from the begumpet airport, they would often fly close to our apartment building. From my balcony, i could see 2/3 planes flying together. Though they did not do anything fancy, the very sound they made would get my heart beating faster and hair stand on end. It was awesome.

And then we got to know that one of them had crashed and the pilots had died and i for one, am feeling so so so sad...it was like i almost knew them. We have decided that come Sunday we will STILL go to the airshow.

The second horrible thing i got to know from my mom. She called, first to enquire if we were fine post the crash and second to warn me NOT to watch sun tv especially with arjun around. I actually forgot all about the call since i was kind of mourning the crash but come evening and maddy had heard about the news too. So he switched on the television.

I am no fan of godmen nor of actresses. But what i saw on tv physically repulsed me. NOT because a so called holy man was making out...as far as i know, hindu priests are not required to take any vow of celibacy and everybody is entitled to a personal life. But what kind of a mind would stoop to such a level where they go about installing a camera knowing exactly what the camera is going to capture and worse...how can a television channel air something like this?

Something very wrong happened yesterday and i think the swamiji is the least of our problems.

The killer lady

2010-02-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

Jun : I dont want to go to school
Me : Why? What happened?
Jun : One little girl hit me!!
Me : Oh dear why?
Jun : I dont know!!
Me : Where did she hit you?
Jun : Here (somewhere near his waist)
Me : err..maybe she saw a mosquito or something and wanted to kill it?
Jun : No. She doesnt kill mosquitoes, she kills little boys!!!!

:) :) :)

If this isn't the sweetest thing....

2010-02-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

ps : he can 'write' now :)
ps 2 : The difference in font is apparently because "acha is taller than you no amma..."
ps 3 : He took my permission to call me arch coz "its too long to type out otherwise"
ps 4 :The capitals are c/o ms word...jun is not THAT smart...yet ;p
ps 5 : am already envying the girl he is going to fall in love with...sigh :)

Train Terror

2010-02-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

Sweet aunty who had been chatting with arjun the previous evening in the train, wakes up in the morning and this is what follows :

aunty : good morning arjun
arjun : (sullen) good morning.
aunty : did u sleep well?
arjun : no
aunty : why? what happened?
arjun : You were snoring so loudly, i couldnt sleep at all

..... at this point, i swear i disowned my son. This was actually painful even to type out.

The journey back was a little easier :

On seeing some men buy pirated cds, arjun says : "Such grown up men and they are buying tom and jerry!!!"

I am hoping this is just a stage...that arjun will revert to the sweet and kind person i always thought him to be.

Or was he always like this?

This is getting a little scary.

A hearty valentine!

2010-02-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

My dad has always done things in style...be it wooing my mom by singing to her in public or playing a match of football and hockey simultaneously to impress her.

So come Valentine's day, he went ahead and had a heart attack.

A little too much. Even for him.

Stable now, he is in good hands for further treatment.

Inshah allah, all will be well.

Reading Right from Wrong!

2010-02-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

Its nice when your five year old starts to read except....

...when he has to use the loo in a mall or airport and says

'That says 'SHE' ' i am not coming there...you come HERE!!'

sigh!!

The mystery explained!

2010-01-14T23:44:00.000-08:00

Arjun explained that when a baby is born, you will know if its a girl or a boy when you see the child's hair and ears.

"If it is wearing earrings, then its a girl amma...and the hair also should be a little longer."

:)

A prayer is answered...

2010-01-13T05:47:00.000-08:00

Its a GIRL!!!!

:) :)

A kiss in time...

2010-01-06T03:56:00.000-08:00

As is usual these days, i got whacked by arjun on my forehead as he swung his arms around while playing something.

Couldnt help but grin as he immediately came and rubbed my forehead hard and then gave it one loud, tight kiss.

"Hmmm, what goes around does come around" i thought to myself when arjun asked me....no...when arjun TOLD me..."you are feeling better now, na?"

When I obediently nodded in agreement, he launched into his new philosophy :

"See amma, i kissed you and you felt better because when i kissed you, your pain went away no?"

Again i nodded obediently.

"Amma, see, i am a PAIN KISSER!!! From now on, whenever anybody is hurt, i am going to KISS them TIGHTLY!!!"

Since i didnt have the heart to damage his 'super-kisser-man' image, i nodded again.

So flying doctors are out...please welcome the new age kissing doctor...who i hope won't get into trouble at school!!!!

Flying high...

2010-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

Why i enjoy flying with jun :

Just as we are taking off : "Ready, get set, GO!!!!'....and the plane obediently takes off!!

After the take off : "Amma, have we come out of the world now?"

During the flight : "Amma, i can see INDIA!!!"

During the flight : " Why do they give the same book and broken pencil again and again? They dont have anything else?"

As we descend for landing : Amma, i have MAGIC ears. If i yawn, i can hear better!!!

New Beginnings?

2010-01-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas :

Stared and stared at little sis who is currently BIG with child and looking more and more like my mom every day!! Discovered that my brother in law is a rock star, hiding his light under the proverbial bushel. The christmas spirit was terribly evident with him letting junjun play his 27k guitar...while the rest of us held our breath! Luckily no damage done and i hope i have a budding 'geeetarist' at home!

Old friends dropping by, catching up with relatives passing by...everyone tired of me repeating my 'Oh we live in the US of A - United States of Andhra Pradesh " joke, ...great food, fun decorations, lots of shopping, mom and dad doing all the work while we just lazed or caught up with the gilmore girls...yup - a perfect christmas.

Now coming to All that i have to look forward to in the new year :

1. Arjun getting a brand new cousin....(heavy lobbying going on with Mr G up there that it should be a girl! ;p....you are all free to sign the petition too )

2. Jun turning five and actually wanting a birthday party!

3. Jun moving to first standard (inshah allah!) and having school till 3.30pm

4. Me having more time than i need on my hands

5. Me looking out for a job - to become some sort of a research scholar and teach - or to go back to the big bad corporate world?

Decisions, decisions.....but what is life without them?

Here is wishing everybody a HAPPENING new year!! :)

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

Wishing all of you a truly wonderful Christmas. Peace in your minds and laughter in your hearts everyone!! :)

I do NOT understand

2009-12-19T23:25:00.000-08:00

... why more and more people feel they cannot communicate effectively until and unless they use the eff word!!

Sigh!

2009-12-18T01:20:00.001-08:00

What does one do with a boy who can identify a meerkat and a bushbaby but insists that a goat is a DOG???

Writing on the wall?

2009-12-10T23:27:00.000-08:00

Arjun asked me for the spelling of 'time' and 'cant'. After a while, i went to see what he had written and found myself looking at the first sentence he had come up with all by himself. It read :

"you all but i cantB goob all the time"

!!!!!

Maid for each other

2009-12-08T20:56:00.001-08:00

I couldnt wait to tell maddy about how my maid told me that i was the most hard working among all the women she worked for.

So i gushed to him about how she told me i cook and then i drop jun and then pick him up again and do the clothes....till maddy stopped me with an exasperated look.

"Arch, all she is saying is that we are terribly middle class..we dont have a cook, we dont have a driver....get it?"

Sometimes it helps to remember why i married this man ;p

Movie Mania!

2009-12-02T00:34:00.000-08:00

Been movie watching to my heart's delight, thanks to the new membership with a dvd rental place. Obviously am catching up but still thought i should share my deep and insightful reviews about the movies i have watched...so here goes :

Maqbool : Still kicking my self for not having watched it earlier. Brilliant.

Kaminey : Watched it with subtitles and all but still think maqbool is way better.

Star Trek : Awesome. Felt just like meeting old friends :)

Wolverine : X Men Origins : Loved it too...but maybe just a little less than star trek.

The Ugly truth : I was prepared for it to be gross but it totally lost its integrity by becoming a sappy rom com as it ends. Not even very funny

Ghosts of girlfriends past : Tolerable especially if you are watching it after The Ugly Truth

Duplicity : Disappointing.

State of Play : Not bad at all. Definitely better than Duplicity.

Harry Potter and the half blood prince : Very nice ... but movies that dont quite end when they end leave me slightly unhappy.

Arundhathi (telugu) : Amazing, considering the stereotype you have of a telugu movie in your head (ok, my head) but its not exactly a happy movie and had too many toe curling moments. Technically i guess its quite outstanding.

The Reader : Over rated

Revolutionary Road : Brilliant!! Loved it.

17 again : Yaaawwwnnnn....snoorrrrrrrrrrre

Angels and Demons : Too much left out from the book...i guess if you havent read the book its an ok movie. But felt a little disappointed for sure.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen : OK, so we are suckers for action movies.... even if they show the same thing over and over again :p

The Bucket List : Really really nice, sweet, tender and teary

That does it for now.

Over and out from the really old movie review specialist :)

ps : old refers to the movie and NOT to the specialist. Just in case... you know...!

That time of the year again.

2009-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

All fun in winter ceases
When you have a little boy who wheezes.

The Price of Happiness

2009-11-25T05:34:00.000-08:00

Rs 89/-

The price of one hot wheels 'racing' car.

:)

Right or Not ?

2009-11-19T04:51:00.000-08:00

Arjun, name five vegetables...

Potato, carrot, onion, murungakka and pattani. Correct amma?

:) :) :)

Deep!

2009-11-17T05:10:00.001-08:00

Me : OK kiddos, time to go back to your homes... we are going out now.

One of arjun's friends : Where are you going?

Me : We are going out for lunch.

Him : Why? You dont have any food here?

!!!!! :)

Dirty Dancing :)

2009-11-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

And then there are some days when all you want to do is go dancing!!

Most probably the only thing that comes close to being something i am passionate about, dancing and me go a long way. I will always remember my first performance. I must have been around six years old when there was a wedding in the family. Hordes of cousins landed up at my grand father's house and somebody let it slip that i didnt think twice about dancing. Suddenly, there were clamours all around for a dance.

I insisted that all the doors be closed. (It didnt matter that everybody was already inside the 'performance room' !) And then i sang and danced - 'I am a disco dancer..ta na na na" My aunt felt the need to explain my 'steps' ocassionaly like - oh, she is shifting the 'mike' from hand to hand' which would always be followed by an 'ohhhh' that went around the room. I was least bothered by this continuous explanation because in my mind, i was right next to mithun chakraborthy, matching him step for step. Needless to say, i got thunderous applause that evening and relentless torture for the rest of my life as the cruel cousins would remember my performance and publicly describe it every time we met.

That, however, did not douse my passion one bit. Fast forward to sometime when i was in the seventh or eigth standard. Most of the dancing i got to see was in the movies. I knew i was not pretty enough to be the heroine but i was quite sure i looked better than all those ladies behind her who also danced when she did. So i did not think twice. I walked up to my dad and said, "Daddy, i want to join the movies and be a dancer" My dad, being the sensible person he is, did not react at all. He just nodded and smiled. But that very summer, my dad called somebody who called somebody who called somebody and who called somebody else and it was all arranged. We were going to see 'movie shootings'. I was so excited, i could hardly breathe.

Since we were living in Andhra Pradesh then as well, i got to see a few south indian movies being shot. I saw Venkatesh at his prime doing a fight sequence. I saw Amala and Srividya and just missed rajnikanth in a movie they were doing together. And finally, we got to see a dance sequence - one which i will never forget. It was the actress called Ramya Krishnan dressed in something like a bharathanatyam costume but minus the sleeves and a whole lot of other parts. So, ok, i swallowed a bit. And then, in the forty five minutes that we watched them, they did a small 5 second step over and over and over again. Which was also ok. But the last straw was that between each practice, this small, dark, hairy man would walk up to the actress and actually wipe her sweat off her back.

My movie aspirations came to a grinding halt.

I still love to dance though and have gone for a class or two and had the best time of my life. Jun and i freak out quite often in our living room while maddy wonders why he couldnt have married some nice quiet girl who will just cook and look nice for him. Luckily in this one respect, Jun totally takes after me. Amazing energy and fun but slightly lacking in the talent department.

But when did THAT ever stop a dancer ? ;p

Little Ram

2009-11-06T03:00:00.000-08:00

Today, i realized that one of arjun's classmate's dad actually drives the auto rikshaw that he brings his son in. I was at once both happy and sad. Happy because we put him in this school and not in any of the other fancy international ones for precisely this reason - that a classroom should be truly representative of the society that it exists in, as opposed to a classroom that caters to just a particular class of people.

I was also sad because now when i think of that little boy, i see not just him but all those hopes and dreams riding on his little shoulders and i wonder if they will give him wings or god forbid, weigh him down.

I have not struggled. For anything. My parents have and my grandparents may have, but my sister and i were brought up not lacking anything. We honestly dont know what it means to have to sacrifice something. There was absolutely no pressure on us to do a particular course or try for a particular subject. We did what we wanted and what we liked and i know that not many people have that much of freedom.

But it nags me. Are we lesser in some way because we have got it easy? Or are the challenges we face today just less basic and more complex? I just heard arjun boasting to the kid next door about our new tv and i could not help but cringe and try to shush him. I wonder if little ram whose dad drives the autorikshaw will be impressed by our new tv? Arjun has not really done anything to deserve all that we buy him but then, did we?

My heart goes out to the poor for sure. But it really feels for those who are not poor. Who cannot and will not beg. Who try to make ends meet. Who try to put their children in the best schools possible so that atleast the next generation will make it to the next level.

After twenty years, it is highly possible that like all telugu kids, little ram will find his way to america and rake in the dollars while arjun might be a struggling artist or something because we are going to encourage him to do what he loves best. Whatever the future holds for both these kids, i hope they find happiness and contentment. I also hope that we as parents, dont have any regrets about the way we did things.

I sure as hell hope my parents dont!!

The scary lady i call amma, says...

2009-11-04T03:25:00.001-08:00

" Children are bringing up such obedient parents these days"

gulp!

The killer kids!

2009-11-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

All the kids in our floor somehow land up in our home.

According to my very wise landlady, it means that lady of the house is a very nice person.

Result, while i feel like lifting each one by the scruff of their necks and throwing them out, i glare and then smile and turn a blind eye to my terribly messy living room.

Maddy thinks we should just get access cards or something for all of them so we are atleast saved the trouble of having to open and close the door every ten minutes!

Why did my landlady have to say that and force me to be this nice person i really am not...at all!!!!!

But junjun is happy. So we may curse but we smile.

And ok...lets face it...they actually are good fun :p

When two planets collide...

2009-11-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

She : What a pretty vase!!!

He : Doesnt it look like a spittoon?

***********

He : I live with you and you want me to 'connect' with you on some site????

She : I dont like you one bit. (Especially when you make sense!)

***********

And then they turned six !!

Happy anniversary maddy!

The little racist

2009-10-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Watching the Vaseline 'White' Ad

Jun turns to me and says "You can't use that no, amma"?

Me : " Why not?"

Jun : Because you are brown!

Me : "(Sigh)yup..i didnt think of that."

Double sigh!

Dumb at thirty three!!

2009-10-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be rude to call up people at eight on a sunday morning to enquire about the apartments they have advertised for.

So i call up at ten.

Most of the houses are taken.

Finito.

Things I dont understand ... and cannot seem to change!!

2009-10-20T03:24:00.000-07:00

How could Junjun, on going through our wedding album say,
" Amma, you look like a PRINCE" !!?

How could Linda Goodman make virgos sound SO stodgy and boring!?

How could people spend a fortune on an absolutely smashing car and then actually pay somebody to drive it for them???

How could a fragrance called 'strawberries and champagne' smell like beer??

How could arjun ask me when we are buying another baby???

and finally...how oh how could junjun tell the daughter of a friend who was throwing a tantrum about buying two toys - "Just choose one.Anyway they will leave one back at the billing counter!"

@#$!&*$#)(*& :)

Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru

2009-10-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

Alls well that ends well....and this movie ended fantastically since one of the names in the credits belonged to my sibling!!

The movie too has its moments :p

Like Father Like Son - Oh dearie me!

2009-10-12T21:28:00.001-07:00

Friday

Maddy : I got very confusing team feedback. Apparently i am a perfectionist and therefore, am a pain to have around!

Me : Hear hear!

Saturday

Arjun's teacher : He likes to be a perfectionist, so his work is always correct and beautiful but he is the last to finish

Me : Stare dumbly not knowing whether to giggle uncontrollably or look concerned.

Learning for the weekend : Perfection is a pain ;p

On a high, getting higher!

2009-09-17T03:20:00.000-07:00

Gloriously,

Deliriously,

Happy!!

The Humble Hunk

2009-09-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

Another conversation at the same birthday party

Me to two very pretty little girls : Gosh, both of you are looking so very pretty!!!

One perky little thing, lifting her eyebrows in arjun's direction, "He is handsome too"

Junjun smiling KNOWINGLY : "Yeah....i am wearing my BEN 10 socks no, thats why"

Loud cackles from me unfortunately ended this conversation.

:)

Birthday bumps

2009-09-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Conversation before birthday party

Me : Junjun, when you give her the gift, pl dont tell her its a barbie doll. It is supposed to be a surprise, ok?

Conversation at the birthday party

Junjun : Here is a barbie doll for you. Its a surprise!

I almost scolded him then but i saw that a huge smile had enveloped the little girl's face on hearing what her gift was.

Maybe sometimes, kids know better :)

How????

2009-08-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

Arjun actually chose to do his homework over having the breakfast i had made for him.

Devastated.

Sigh...

2009-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

Overheard junjun singing 'californication....' and i blanched coz it just did not sound right coming from him.

Post this i have been ODing on country music which i knew wouldnt have anything even mildly offensive.

Now i hear arjun sing " ....... pl dont take my man"

Cannot get rid of the frying-pan-into-the-fire feeling.

He is already making plans

2009-08-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Amma, if you are tirty two and acha is tirty tree, who will die first?

...gulp.

My new friend :p

2009-08-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

Since we see each other everyday, the one-handed man at the traffic signal selling car cleaning cloth and i have become acquaintances.

Today though, i didnt need to stop because i got an unbelievably green light but i saw him standing at the side. He saw me too and and as i drove by, he actually raised his hand to his chest in greeting!!

I couldnt wait to tell maddy about my new 'friend'. Maddy now says he is going to pay all the vendors and beggars on the road to salute me since it seems to make me so happy.

Actually i was kinda really upbeat....this is the closest i have come to feeling like some kind of mafia don :p

Time to go back to the real world.

Lunch making calleth.

:) :)

I love my country

2009-08-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

I went upstairs on the 15th to find so many people had turned up for the flag hoisting held by the apartment. We were a motley crowd and we were all there because we were Indians and proud of it.

I then went down to the little shop next door and found a huge crowd in the basti next to our apartment building....and as i watched, another flag unfurled to thunderous applause.

I think the chinese can go suck eggs.

Some deep stuff

2009-08-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

A traffic jam is the result of two or three people refusing to believe that god has given them as much intelligence as anybody else!!

grrrr.

Moms beware....

2009-08-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

...of dads who suddenly offer to supervise sonny boy's homework....

Before you know it, suddenly homework is all done and two pairs of suspiciously innocent eyes wait for your approval as you scan the homework.

Ofcourse, you need only one - even partially functioning eye to see that doting dad has done a little more than just 'supervising'.

b-a-t and c-a-t and f-a-t are looking a little too good to be true.

An all knowing, raised eyebrow look to the dad.

Dad sends puppy dog imploring look back to me.

I look at Jun and suddenly father and son look too much like father and son.

awww what the heck....and we left it to the teacher to handle the situation.

Parental diplomacy. Hear hear!