Technologically Challenged

The following post was in my drafts and I decided since it makes perfect sense even after all these months... my brain is still not back, I am still as technologically challenged as ever.. so here you go!!

I have it from good nay dubious authority that my post on my sleeplessness was boring! I claim exception due to the fact clearly stated in the post, my brain is on vacation... while on that, it is still not back! If you do find it tell it not to bother returning.. I am kind of enjoying this state I am in! Why you ask? In all honesty.. now I have something to blame for my stupidity ! :D

Its not like I have to try hard though... this generation is heading there.. there is an appliance for everything.. and for everything else there is an app on ipad! You never will have to think again so why bother carrying all that extra weight around!

And we are technologically challenged.. how you ask. We have 3 - now 4 people in our household - 5 computers, 2 pdas and 4 phones! A friend on hearing this asked "how many televisions?".. and I had to reply just 1.. however we have a computer that is capable of converting into a television.. so I guess that makes it 2? Not to mention just to turn on that one television you have to go through the receiver, change sources and use so much brain power you will be dizzy enough not to watch any program. Not to mention all the s-video and vga cables, audio and hd conversion cables we lug around so all our computers and other devices can be connected to this complicated array of equipment! Now I ask you between trips to best buy and best buy (we are like their vip customers.. they are considering giving us a room in there considering we practically live there), where is the time to watch tv and use all this equipment... we spend our time going to the store to buy more!! And that my friends is how we have come to be technologically challenged!

And then she smiled...

I sit here night after night asking the same question.. will tonight be the night? Will it be tonight that miracles happen.. the earth and the sky move, my stars align and my daughter chooses to sleep! And night after night she assures me that it is not time yet!! Every time I glance at the clock I calculate.. I am so thankful for my math .. if she sleeps for 3 hrs from now (like she is supposed to) .. then she will get up at x hrs and I will get oh wait where is my notepad.. x - the time now.. oh right that is 3 hrs of sleep.. but the hours tick away and she is not dozing off!! Instead I sit upright holding her against me so she can sleep in fits and spurts and I can live in constant fear of dozing off and dropping the precious bundle!! Sigh!! Like she will let me, a slight slip of the arm and I am reminded with a squeal.. and I am on high alert yet again (as alert as I can possibly be...)

Don't believe me? Come meet me and you will figure out like my neighbor did.. that my brain is out on vacation! I realised this the other day.. I stood breathing some fresh air for the precious minutes my daughter would deign to sleep.. baby monitor in hand. Meanwhile the imp zoomed past on his scooter.. keeping up his vigil on mommy! Between them they have a pact, when one rests the other takes over! So as I stood there (trying) to talk to my neighbor and the words eluded me. I seemed to have forgotten english and stood there grappling for my vocabulary! And that is when it occured to me, my brain must be on a vacation.

The next day I called my friend who is a new mom herself to check if my theory was right.. and as we spoke for an hour about diapers and baby poop, we were certain that we had lost it completely! M came home that evening and as I started telling him my woes I forgot what I was going to talk about. Now if I did not have enough signs here was one sure one! So I decided I needed a break and a hobby! Now blogging is a good enough hobby so is mindless surfing of the net, if I could get to a computer!

Now what kind of hobby can you pursue with a baby who refuses to leave your lap and arms? I got myself a netbook.. the hubs thinks I just needed an excuse to go get a mini laptop.. after all I have been angling for one for a long time now. And now I have been able to build a perfect case! Hey it is not like I got an IPad right... I could not build a strong enough case for 2 of those in the household! Sigh! The woes of my life!! M if you are reading this.. remember what I told you "Sharing is a good habit" .. so when can we swap and share? After all you need to go earn the bread and butter.. now hand it over!

And as I sat there in this woe begone state of mine contemplating my lost sleep (I talk about sleep day in and day out!! I am beginning to think people are running away from me! I wonder why!!) .. anyway as I sat there one morning at 5 am she smiled! The sleep melted away and incredulity stepped in. Here I was sitting fatigued after an all nighter... mentally cursing M who was travelling again.. who had the audacity to choose crowded airports, skipping timezones, untimely meals and strange hotels over a pleasant time with his family of sleepless women and bouncing imps! And she smiled.. her first ever smile on the dawn of her first month bday.. I gaped mouth open! Later that day the doctor asked me if she had smiled yet.. I was still dazed as I answered that yes indeed she had. And needless to say bored her with a monolgue of sleepless nights and mocking smiles!! The doctor now has a restraining order against me.. (puzzled expression!!) As for me, I sit today yet again sleepless and I await the second toothless grin!!

P.S. A friend told me sometime back (when I was pregnant actually.. why he chose that time to break the news to me is beyond comprehension.. but still as a true friend I think he was enlightening me!!?? Or as my luck seems to be lately.. he was mocking me as well I guess).. anyway he said "when you have 2 kids that is when true parenting starts". At that time I brushed off the comment with an intelligent blank look and a knowing fake smile.. but today I look back at those words and the meaning is beginning to dawn on me!! Oh my we are in for some interesting years ahead I say!

What's it with me and the flooding!

A few months back in good old Charlotte I donned my slacks and crisp shirt one morning. Packed 3 full bags - One the most important Lunch, the other what my work people forced me to lug along my laptop and the third my make up and candy stash with my wallet in my purse (quite as important I would say). I was ready to get on the commuter train to downtown and pretend to be an all important person in the corporate world! Meanwhile I had to keep my part of hte morning deal, wake Cheeky. The hubs had the harder part getting him ready for school.. As we stood 2 sleepy heads, one straight out of bed and the other all set for work but still sleepy and quite pregnant too.. We stood there in front of the sink and opened the tap and gush we were both drenched and the water kept gushing out while I watched in horror without any understanding. A pipe had burst on us.. A few precious minutes later sense prevailed and the hubs and I managed to turn off the water valves.. but the damage was done! That was quite an adventure you would say right?

But little did I know that the phrase "History repeats itself" would hold so true in my life! Last afternoon the hubs took off on a trip (carefree that he is)... and I struggled with my 2 little imps. The minute I rested my back one or the other one would pipe up!! And on one such occassion I noticed some water in the kitchen. Investigation proved the forbidden door was leaking (we have 2 forbidden doors in our tiny little apartment.. 2 forbidden doors and no storage!). This door housed the water heater which had sprung a leak. A call to maintenance later we found the heater had to replaced. That took the better part of my afternoon and I sighed and accepted a ruined rest time!

Later that evening I switched on the washer and my dad (who is visiting by the way) got ready to take an evening stroll) and lo behold he walked into a big pool of water in what used to be the kitchen! It was the washer this time. Tootsie began to scream right this instant and Cheeky thought this was splash planet and decided to play in the "big puddle" as he called it! I screamed like a banshee at the emergency maintenance call center ("We have paged maintenance ma'am there is nothing more we can do"! I am going to call 9-1-1 screamed the crazy woman!). My dad tried hard to keep the water from the carpet. And then sense prevailed. I twisted myself into a boomerang shaped spring toy while I groped in the dark behind the immovable washer for the valves. It was the wet kitchen with water steadily seeping into the carpets that bounced me back in shape.. or it would have taken an entire army to straighten me up! An hour and a half later maintenance arrived to tell me they would be back in the morning as I seemed to have everything under control. But you have seen no wrath as that of the mom of 2... "You will do no such thing.. you will clear the mess in the carpets right now" said I.. and the guy rushed to get a vaccum, rip out the carpets and run a blower to dry the place! While I settled to a night of owl-hood with my little infant!

And M is frolicking on his "business" trip! Now just you wait mister.. this aint funny!! You better have a good story!! Now what are the odds that this happen to me not once, not twice but thrice (and 2 times on the same day?) .. some one out there has some sense of humor I say!

(Img: http://www.porthuron.org)

(DISCLAIMER: THESE BLOGS COME UN-EDITED... I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISTAKES.. SIGNED FROM ZOMBIE LAND)

And History is made!

Should I? Shouldn't I? Write about the elections?

Yes I am thrilled that history has been made, yes Obama's acceptance speech was inspiring and touching.. especially the promise of the puppy. Except that if Cheeky ever finds out, I am going to have to run for President now! (What you think that can't happen... maybe in about 16-20 years? I will be old enough to run for President then!! wink! And for those of you who dare to point out that it is constitutionally impossible... Change is the buzz word!) (img courtesy: http://threebrothersandasister.blogspot.com)

After his constant requests for pets - first a fish tank, then a cat, then a hamster and then a puppy were rejected. Even his request to go ask the neighbor if she would let him take her puppy was only admonished! Cheeky tried a different tact. Mommy lets buy a baby.. considering that mommy had a son maybe she will like a pet of the human kind! It was only later that I found out.. when my sister wisely asked him why he wanted a baby was that he wanted the baby for a pet! I must be such a hit as a mom eh?! But when he was told that the baby would share his parents, toys and room.. (I seem to have put that in ascending order of importance!) the notion was immediately dropped! We are back to wanting a puppy dog now! (img courtesy : http://www.schools.pinellas.k12.fl.us)

Alright I have digressed enough... back to the elections. I called my dad in the middle of the night.. Mid day for him and yelled "OBAMA won the elections! And he is making his acceptance speech now".. My dad responded "I get CNN here you know?" .. So much for sharing my excitement! But really so did the rest of the world apparently... the support for Obama seem to go across national borders.


I have never followed any election with equal fervor! My interest in elections in India are limited to turning off the TV every time a politician comes on.. or avoiding all areas in the city where rally's were planned (Can't end up being blown up by a bomb can I, then who would write these blogs?!). This year I watched the elections here as the mud slinging happened across the aisles in this part of the world.

With an almost nonchalant attitude I would turn on the TV and watch the drama. And what I saw was this intelligent guy making a calm point even when he was playing the blame game. And it was easy to believe him. But that is enough about Obama, what I am really here to talk about is someone else! Tricked ya didn't I?

I am talking about this cute lady with her wink and snap, her "Maverick" talks tickled me to no end! So at the end of this election furor, I am actually sorry. While Mrs. Palin packs her bags and heads back to Alaska, I must say I am going to miss this hockey mom who wanted to sit at my kitchen table and talk to me! And I am going to miss SNL (Saturday Night Live... Live from Newyork!) and Tina Fey most of all! I am going to miss the cute wink and the "I will have to get back to ya" snap! I am going to miss all the digs people took at her! But most of all I am going to miss her sense of humor by coming right there at SNL and taking a dig at herself! (img courtesy: http://www.capitolhillblue.com)

So for more of Mrs Sarah Palin do we tune in to Elections 2012?

As I sign off.. I leave you with the link to Obama's inspirational acceptance speech . Which made even self proclaimed cynics like me to sit up and take notice. It is definitely just the beginning.. the road ahead is steep and it is going to be an uphill battle. But America and the world have been energized with the chant "YES WE CAN!". So anything is possible.. just wait and watch!

How confused am I?

Hmm... I bragged about my brilliance and the award bestowed upon me by 2 unsuspecting souls.. and I got a meager response of 7 comments. So apparently I gather that my brilliance is neither appealing nor does it ring true.. Not to mention the shadows it casts on the rest of the world!
But then I have obtained the bragging rights fair and square... so I will continue to do so! But since I cant dedicate yet another post to this.. I have decided to move on.. from brilliance to confusions (I knew this would seem more realistic to you!)

(Pict Courtesy: http://www.koolbadges.co.uk)

I have finally finished reading The Namesake by Jumpa Lahiri! Why so long? Apart from the fact that I keep being accosted by Cheeky for a slice of my time.. not to mention all the other things I have to do for the two men in my life! Another factor for the delay was the attack of Deja Vu. Why you ask? After all I am Fresh of the boat Desi Mom.. what else do I need to be attacked by Deja Vu on reading this book?
And I have reason to worry too.. when Cheeky was a wee thing of 2 he once told a stranger that his name was "Ronak". I was amused but in the hustle and bustle that was my life those days, let this observation slip through my scatter brained self! A few days later sure enough when he was asked his name by a friend he claimed it was "Ronak". I wondered where he had gotten that impression. After all we had spent the better part of 9 months arguing about a name for the little imp. We wanted a name that was Indian, traditional, modern and which would hold up in a place like America without getting obscured when it rolls of an American tongue. So after a lot of deliberation and careful thought (bah!! not to mention hair tearing arguments) the name was chosen and put on the birth certificate. Also on the 28th day of birth uttered three times into the wee ear thereby officially sealing the deal. Yet here we were just 2 years later and this little brat was renaming himself! He claimed he liked the name "Ronak" better and wanted to be called that! (Pict Courtesy : mindflirting.wordpress.com)
A couple more years have passed and he has learnt to live with the name his parents decided for now. He no longer likes "Ronak" he claims and for now he has not thought of any other way he would like to be called. But as I sat reading The Namesake a loud gasp escaped and I asked M what he would say if after High School our son re-baptized himself to "Ronak". No one takes me seriously of course, so if the inevitable happens I will just learn to live with it! But dont expect me to be happy about it!

Meanwhile I have been coming across a lot of articles about ABCD's. I had always found the term funny without actually relating to it. But now that I can start relating to it, I think its wrong!! They are not confused, we are the confused lot! This breed we call ABCD although very alien to us, are very clear in their allegiances and are not confused even the teeny weeny bit!

This summer when we were in India, a friend of mine gifted Cheeky with a Sherwani.. he thought it was "awesome" and I breathed a sigh of relief. This guy had never seen a sherwani, and thankfully I did not have to sell the idea to him. So I let him adorn the awesome clothes and told him we are off to a Birthday Party. "Alright" whooped Cheeky! Clueless that I am, I never thought to tell him that it was a 1st bday "Ayushhomam". The surprise on Cheeky's face began when I turned up in a shiny Saree to go. "Why are you wearing that?" he asked. "That is what people wear here" I answered shushing him up for then and cursing myself for not heeding to my friends and turning up in jeans for every Indian party or temple we ever went to! After all they had warned me this would happen! At the party the surprise grew when he saw a crowd of hundred's. What kind of party has so many people? My son immediately retreated behind my legs and quietly inquired "Has the cake been cut?". I had to explain this was not a cake cutting but a praying party like the pictures he has seen of his first birth day! (pic - choiceindiasherwani.tradeindia.com)
Then came the real surprise. Leafs laden with food. "Hey whats that?" the imp asked! I explained that this was how food was eaten looking around to make sure no one was listening to my son's ignorance of Indian ways. Can't have the Indian Mami's telling me on how to bring up a kid with appreciation of "our customs". But when Cheeky asked loudly "So do they eat the leaf now?" I gave up! We went and sat down to eat and Cheeky was seen asking the server mama "Excuse me sir may I have a spoon?". Sure enough the guy produced a spoon and much to the amusement of the party this little guy proceeded to eat with a spoon off a leaf and 5 minutes later was seen whispering "Don't they have happy meals for kids?"
If you are thinking this is the story of an ABCD, you are wrong! Recently Cheeky's cousin celebrated his birthday. When informed, he wisely asked "So what kind of party was it Indian or American". So in his mind he is very clear.. I am the confused one! (pict courtesy: flickr.com)

Then there was the Independence day. July 4th I baked a cake and we had a picnic lunch with a couple of Cheeky's friends! Come August 15th (Indian Independence day) I was guilt ridden in the tug of war that is my mind! So I suggested that we bake a cake. Cheeky obliged me and mixed and poured and did most of the preparation all by himself. We cut the cake singing Happy Bday to India! A few days later Cheeky asked me .. "So when is Australia's Independence day? Lets bake a cake for that!". Aaah, the 3 countries he is aware of. One that he lives in, the other that he originated from, and the third one owing to the fascination with Kangaroo's (Roo's hometown) and Koala bears.

On Janmashtami, I asked Cheeky to wear the Sherwani his aunt got him. He obliged me and sat down to watch "Bob the Builder". I prepared all delicacies and put it in front of God and told him that if he closed his eyes Krishna would come eat! So my very amused little imp stood there with one eye closed waiting for Krishna. Then he said "I dont think he is coming today, can I eat?". I try not to argue with his brand of logic. But I asked him if he would dress up like Krishna for me! A few pictures and I could look good among relatives who would praise me for bringing up my son with awareness of "our traditions and customs". I know you are wondering if none of these people really know me? They do, which is why they need photographic evidence! But the imp looked at me suspiciously and asked "Is it Halloween?". What if his mom had tricked him and not said a word about Halloween.. he could have spent the better part of the month shopping for costumes after all! Now that is an idea, shush lets not tell him Halloween will be here soon.. and lets not put up the pumpkins this year.. now if only my neighbors would co-operate!!

Oh well, I try my best to confuse him and he tries his best to make sense of my confused world! And we still live in perfect harmony !!(knew you wouldn't buy that!!)

Vacation Jinxed!

Talk about over planning... All of last week had geeky me making up the perfect itinerary for the labor day weekend.. Actually about 10 days ago I started this madness. M obliged to my silliness claiming he will take a couple days off to oblige so that we can make an extended trip to the area. So we planned a trip that took us to Richmond, VA and onwards to DC, Baltimore and Shenandoah Valley. The trip seemed perfect. The imp was consulted to plan the DC Itinerary and the prospect of National Air and Space Museum, and Natural History museum not to mention the Chinese Panda's at the National Zoo were all part of our tour of DC.

I must digress here to mention that we have taken trips before. Touristy trips cramped into 3 days of long weekend. Trips planned on a whim, decided the day before we left and sometimes hotels booked after we landed at our destination. But since Cheeky's birth, we try to act like responsible parents, planning ahead and keeping things at a leisurely pace. As a result we have not made many long trips before. We stuck to the day trips here and there. So Cheeky and Mom were really excited about this fun event on the horizon.

Maps were consulted, friends were lured in and the plan was finalized. In true geekish fashion thrown into an Excel, tickets booked. We thought of it all except the Weather channel. So the day before the trip when finally the TV was turned on we saw images of Tornado's in the Carolina's, Gustav in the horizon and the effects of Hurricane Faye leaving its stamp on the North West.

This morning I lay in bed at 2:45 AM listening to the thunder rattling my windows and the lightning flooding the room and wondered if it was wise to go on. We had watched the weather channel all day yesterday and seen the predictions of showers in all the places we were visiting. Yet the spirit for adventure burned bright and that cast a foolish AllisRight light over our eyes! So the wee hours of the morning saw us braving the rain to load our car up and hit the roads.
But the saying goes when it rains, it pours and when it pours it batters. A few miles on the highway had us encountering torrential rains, poor visibility and the worst of all battered cars on the roadside. As we sat there struggling to hear each other over the batter of the rain, peering through the window like stiff necked cranes, our eyes wide and popped out to make out the tail lights in the front and still failing to decipher in the haze the flashing hazard lights nonetheless. Only to hear through it all a faint ringing sound much to our bewilderment (have my ears given up on me too?) and see more visions of cop cars, fire trucks and zooming paramedics frantically kicking us out of the lane we were in. While we were thus occupied, sanity finally kicked in.
We yelled at each other over the mayhem "I need to talk to you". We pulled out at an exit to sit parked at a gas station, rivulets of sweat running down our brows, the shortened breath as if we had run for miles. Finally we looked at each other and the absurdity of it all had us laughing at our foolishness, almost but not quite! After all we were stuck in the middle of nowhere in a gas station while the storm raged with thunder and lightning thrown in for good measure.Not to mention the 3 year old at the back all starry eyed and eager to get back on the road! We still had the good measure of sanity left to suppress that laugh and look serious!! We tucked our tails between our legs to apologetically call the hotel and say we are calling it quits. The lady on the other side seemed relieved and promised to refund our money back. The news was gently broken to Cheeky - Washington DC is closed due to rains we said and he of course bought it! I know you would say shame on us for fooling a child. If you are saying that you don't have one of your own.. so hold it till you babysit Cheeky for a couple of days without help! {wink}
We then started over, only headed in the opposite direction and at a snails pace high tailed it back home! A few miles later the rain stopped battering and slowed down to a downpour enough for us to see the looming clouds up ahead and the car with the axle broken next to us. A few more miles down the line, the sun finally peeked to give a watery smile. Back home at last and the sun shone down on us beaming to her hearts content. A conspiracy you think? Well at least this time I made it out the door and 100 miles closer to DC. Next time I will get there!! :)

(Note: At the end of the day, the rains have begun again as I sit here typing this up I am actually glad in a weird sense that it is raining)
Some snapshots from the road as the rain cleared up when my camera would click again!
And still later when the sun made a tentative appearance.. the sight of the evil looking black clouds over the horizon actually looked beautiful to us! Aah I can finally see again I thought!The comedy never ceases in my life does it?

Who me?

First weekend in our new home, and what did we do? Drove 160 miles (one-way) to catch a movie! Yes I know what you are thinking, we are really crazy! We really are! Cheeky was so well behaved and asked only 40 questions through the length of the movie.. and only climbed on and off my lap a dozen times! And only said it was a bad movie twice! So well behaved, I am feeling guilty! Next time I will have to find a baby sitter!
About the movie... it was Dasavatharam. I have been waiting for the movie for so long now, that we had to go watch it as soon as it was out! The movie was ok and I actually had a nice time. Also saw the numerous reviews on Dasavatharam. When I saw the movie, I had started enumerating the flaws in it myself. The biggest one in my mind was Kamal's tendency towards the gross depiction of violence. Otherwise, the movie was entertaining despite some flaws. I do not consider myself a movie critic. I have always looked at movies as a source of entertainment and sometimes if that means overlooking a few flaws/ aberration of common sense, so be it! I did not want to critic a movie or defend it. However, as the reviews started pouring in, some of them pure venom and others taking such an acute critical stance; I cannot help but comment. I can't help wondering, don't these people see any other Tamil or for that matter Indian movie at all? A lot of them seem to want to tie the movie to reality? Where have you heard of a bullet taking away cancer? And how can the bones of a man still be on the statue after 800 years? the questions are endless... It seemed to me that these self appointed critics have taken it on them to do this fault finding exercise and that was the sole purpose of watching the movie! I term it artistic license! There are some things that can be left to the imagination, some things that need to be as explicit as possible to reach to the mass audience, and some dramatization is essential! Remember not every person who watches a movie is of the same wavelength/ intelligence. The success in a movie is to appeal to these different levels of intelligence! Not every movie is a no-brainer! Further the comparison of Dasavatharam to every Hollywood movie we have ever seen is so unfair. Unfortunately Tamil cinema is not yet comparable to Hollywood no matter what we say... the budget, and technology as well as resources are just not at par!
As for the characterization of 10 characters, I think it is pretty apparent that when there are 10 characters, a few are going to come out looking strong, a few weak and a few others superfluous. If the characters had been done by other actors, we would have overlooked them. But just the fact that the characters have been played by Kamal has these critics raving about how bad/ unimportant some of them are! Just what did these people expect going in? And then there is the chaos theory and butterfly effect Kamal has based the story off and this actually has come out tying the story together. I also thought the screen play was pretty good, and tied the loose ends together, considering there were so many vital characters. Some of the characters were just brilliant like Balaram Naidu and Vincent. I liked the villain Fletcher too.. the brutality shone through, and that was critical Characterization. Some other of Kamals avatars lacked the conviction or presence like the Japanese or Kallif Ullah. But like I said, that is bound to happen!
While the movie has its own set of flaws, but which movie does not; it is a laudable effort and deserves due credit for the sheer mountain of work that has gone into this! The biggest irk factor for many seems to be all the hype before the movie! (read the audio release). So many seem to have gone in expecting Kamal to deliver something larger than life! My advice, watch Dasavatharam with an open mind and watch it some more and introspect! There is so much in hidden nuances in there!
There now that weight is off my mind.. I am no die hard fan, I enjoy Kamal movies, I also enjoy Rajini movies which sometimes require you to stop thinking so hard about reality and common sense. They are both entertainers and I have always enjoyed them. But this movie seems to have brought some daggers out and that has had me really bewildered. Some of the venom really seems uncalled for... But then I think some greats like Kamal and Sachin just have as many critics as fans.. that seems to be a tribute to their greatness.. When its a Kamal movie, we expect perfection, but others are ok if they are as far from it as they possibly can get! (Pict Courtesy: tamilcinimadownload.blogspot.com)

And now its tag time! Neera has tagged me to talk about ten things! Ten??!! Really.. here goes
Ten things I miss right now ...
1. Filter Coffee.. from Saravana Bhavan
2. California weather.. that was the best thing about California, I am an outdoorsy person and I loved California where I could just take long walks at all times!
3. Family and now that I am sitting all holed up in new city, I miss friends
4. Phone!! boohoo.. 3 more days to that elusive phone connection and my link to the outside world.
5. Unplanned days and nights of Pre-Nantu times
6. Baby gurgles and chubby feet climbing up onto my shoulders and face!!
7. The ability to eat what may and not gain weight.. And the ability to look at the weigh machine without that grimace!
8. Sleeping in...
9. Breakfast on a tray.. my stomach is grumbling and I have to get up to make breakfast.. (not that I ever have had breakfast served on a tray... but that does not mean I cannot miss it?!)
10. Home Sweet Home!! I still think of my place in Chennai as my home.. that and my childhood home in CBE... yes that too.. I miss them no matter where I go!

Ten things I would like to achieve in the next decade! Oh my! Neera you really got me on this one... I am not that well planned! But I just remembered that I have done this one after all.. Phew! Find it here - Planning Ahead

I am not going to tag anyone in particular. All of you who want to take it up are most welcome to do that!

Home Again....

He walked in and looked around the room.. not a visible surface. Every surface was covered... piles of clothes books, shopping bags and toys all over the place. "What is this?" he asked. "Just the things we are taking back home with us" she answered.
A while later the piles had disappeared into the bursting at the seams suitcases now filling the room. Later that evening we rushed from store to store in search of a weighing machine.. To weigh and repack and weigh and repack till the final hour when we will have to leave after all. In the process many of the books I had assimilated had to be put back with the promise of "Next Time"... The Cheeky Monkey however was pretty sneaky and all his toys kept appearing back in the suitcases as we kept putting them out when his head was turned! Smart eh? As I unpacked I found that every single toy was accounted for while a couple of my things had gone missing!!!
Oh yes I am back home and back to routine. Except that 3:30 AM this morning saw me wide awake and restless and as I write this I am feeling groggy and disoriented. I have also been eating like a pig this past couple of days.. I do hope this is all just jet lag and I wont tire myself by cooking incessantly for my growling tummy! I do intend to loose all the extra weight I have gained after all.
I would love to blame the jet lag (which by the way I am experiencing for the first time... I have made at least half a dozen trips back and forth and have never had these symptoms!!).. anyway, I was saying I would love to blame it on the geek or the imp.. But no, as they both love to remind me I am to blame. I was the one who inso-maniacally (spell mistake intentional) watched back-to-back Hindi movies on the flight. Well who is to blame for that? I never get enough time on the DVD player at home to catch all the meaningless never ending movies at home!! Anyway I was glad to get off the plane after the never ending flight back home. However, now I am nostalgic for India already.
And now I am back to both my obsessive compulsive disorder of straightening and cleaning all day, interspersed with the other addiction - blogging!!! Cheeky is back to his routine and has been begging to be taken to school.. Being typically male.. India is already in the past for him!! However, India has gotten in his blood and behavior.. more on that later!! I seem to have forgotten how to blog though.. so please bear with me as I re-acquaint myself with the blogging world..
(Pict Courtesy: Suma of Thinking Aloud, Airplane)
Before Signing off.. I have to leave you with this article.. A plane went missing in Bangalore Airport.. this is so hilarious.!!

UPDATE

My Dear dear blogger pals,
I am really touched by how so many of you have written to me asking for an update. I have been doing more visiting and have been out of town all this while. Meanwhile the computer has been fixed and I can visit and write blogs now (YIPEE!!). However, I am going to be busy for yet another week.. my last one in India. After that I sure will be back to active blogging.
Meanwhile just popped in to let you know that all is well. The heat is killing and Nantu fell sick a couple of times. But he is better now! He also had a lovely time with his 4 yr old cousin these past 10 days. It seemed like the two were glued together. I for my share got a lot of hugs and kisses and adulation from my darling niece and nephew!
There was a family function and hence a lovely get-together of the extended family which was good fun. We even had a Mehendi night (it was not a wedding, but who said Mehendi night are only for weddings?) and painted all our hands much to Nantu's amusement. For Nantu the amusement never ceased be it the paint on the floors (Kolam designs) or the palm tattoos (mehendi) and more feeding of cows and goats! This time he even fed a goat with his hand.. daringly. We for our share had endless rounds of card games (Its been years since I last played). Burnt our ears and toungues with more than decent share of gossip. Ate loads of rice, sweets and all kinds of delicacies. With the promise that once we are back home we will have to hit the gym! And the coming week I get to do an even more fun thing .. shopping.. I am already getting dreamy eyed for it. For all you bloggers I have brought back with me some very interesting village tales. Unfortunately I could not take pictures to support the tales like I wanted to. But soon you will see some of them making an appearance here in my blog.
Now I am off to savour my final week of vacation. I will be back after the break to torture you all with my blogs and comments. Till then Chao!!

If - Rudyard Kipling

I first read this poem in a school textbook in Grade 11. I am not into poetry in a big way... but I hold this very close to my heart! It is truly a work of genius aimed to inspire and uplift at all times. Read on ...

[IF]
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Trivia 1:

The lines "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same;" adorns the entrance to the center court of Wimbledon

Trivia 2:

The poem was inspired by Dr Leander Starr Jameson, who in 1895 led a raid by British forces against the Boers in South Africa, subsequently called the Jameson Raid. This defeat increased the tensions that ultimately led to the Second Boer War. The British press, however, portrayed Jameson as a hero in the middle of the disaster, and the actual defeat as a British victory.

Don't you Quit

This poem has kept me going on many days! One of my favorites...(after Kiplings IF ofcourse)

DON'T QUIT - Author unknown
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you frown a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst
That you must not quit.