Generally 2009 went without any hiccups, it was an ordinary year without any extremes. Neither it was too bad nor it was too good.
Let me analyse it chronologically
1.First pongal celebrated without any sugarcane or sweet pongal. We celebrated with molagu pongal for a change.
2. P joined his dance class and (thank god) continues till date.
3. One of my aathukarars cousin got married and met all the relatives (athellam ippadi ethavathu kalyanam kaatchinnu meet pannathaan undooo). Kandipppa ellar veettukkum varomnu promise pannathoda seri.
4. Was off and on with co-sis and became pretty close with her. Lets see to what extent it goes.
5. P got his tonsillitis and adenoids removed. And it was the second time i saw my aathukarar crying (first during his fathers death) . I was shocked to see him crying profusely outside the operation theatre. I carried him inside and made him to change to the theatre dress and P found something was wrong and clung to me like a kangaroo and started crying. I controlled myself and left him with the doctor and came outside just to witness aathukarar crying and sobbing uncontrollably.
6. Went on a religious trip and long pending venduthals offered (Anthaa post innum complete panna padu illa) Innum konjam venduthals pending - karnataka side and kerala side.
7. Made peace with my father and visited him and his family. Went to the car festival of perumal koil after a gap of 12yrs.
8. P made smooth transition from Lkg to Ukg and in fact excelled in his class. (I love u P whatever it may be)
9. Three of my friends welcomed their angels into their family. So my son is odd one out among our circle of friends. So far only girl children.
10. Swine flu scare forced everyone inside their home and due to this was not able to celebrate P's birthday as requested by him by inviting all his friends
11. Two nightmare incidents happened and it taught me a good lesson.
12. Have been into serious blogging of late.
13. So many relatives visits happened and two marriages are due.
14. Made friend with S and she was first colleague of my aathukarar and later joined us in the beginning of this year. Though i knew her for the past 10 yrs met her in person just this year as she joined our organisation. Since then, she continues to be good friend and a confidante of mine.
15. First time spent a week-long vacation without my aathukarar and the beauty was i didnt miss him much. (Athu konja naal aanaa appadithaan polannu avar polambarthu kaathula kekkarthaa?)
16. Renewed my long time passion - reading books. At times iam even awake till 4.00 in the morning reading just with the help of night lamp. Illenna P yoda thookkam kettu poidume. Looking forward to visit the Book fair. Hope to visit this weekend.
16. Last but not the least we were featured in one of the IT newsletter - Couples as such in Sp business being partners and the role of the spouse.
So many international events happened and many bloggers have listed them and i wouldnt be doing justice by re-listing them, though the order may change. Though there were few incidents here and there , as in my opinion, no major disaster except for the befall of LTTE happened.
Stepping into 2010 without any major plans and wish to take things as they come.
Wishing all of you a warm and fun-filled 2010 ahead.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
New avatar of P
P generally follows the proverb " Look before you leap " while making friends. But, there in my fathers place he befriended "B" within seconds. And he followed the give and take policy with him to the T.
He learnt all the new tamil words from B. While P knows The Mask, he sent everyone into splits by his understanding of the tamil word. When B said "dey athu ennod mogamudi daa " , P showed him a cap and said "dey moodithaan inga irukku mogamoodi enga da irukku".
And he meticulously corrected his pronunciations ,
Mickey - Mic cc keyyyy sollu. AAn corrct Mouse apparam. Athuthaan Mickey Mouse, athu oru eli daaa.
Unakku magishi theriyumaaa athuthaan da Ayyappa destroy pannuvare (His father bought him a book on ayyappa on his return journey from sabarimalai)
And he also teaches him the "ab, ap , og , od words " ., with proper pronunciations.
And in return he learnt to drive the tyre of a car sans the car, and of that cycle sans the cycle. Tries to master the art of jumping from the wall and walking tight-rope on the small platform which is in our front-yard.
Also, gave us a big treat of dancing to the tunes of "barbie girl" along with "B". And this was the first time we saw him dancing.
Note - After seeing P, he also got a ear-muff and religiously wore it on every trip outside the house.
He learnt all the new tamil words from B. While P knows The Mask, he sent everyone into splits by his understanding of the tamil word. When B said "dey athu ennod mogamudi daa " , P showed him a cap and said "dey moodithaan inga irukku mogamoodi enga da irukku".
And he meticulously corrected his pronunciations ,
Mickey - Mic cc keyyyy sollu. AAn corrct Mouse apparam. Athuthaan Mickey Mouse, athu oru eli daaa.
Unakku magishi theriyumaaa athuthaan da Ayyappa destroy pannuvare (His father bought him a book on ayyappa on his return journey from sabarimalai)
And he also teaches him the "ab, ap , og , od words " ., with proper pronunciations.
And in return he learnt to drive the tyre of a car sans the car, and of that cycle sans the cycle. Tries to master the art of jumping from the wall and walking tight-rope on the small platform which is in our front-yard.
Also, gave us a big treat of dancing to the tunes of "barbie girl" along with "B". And this was the first time we saw him dancing.
Note - After seeing P, he also got a ear-muff and religiously wore it on every trip outside the house.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Another Rambling
My vacation plan is like the cat on the wall. It always happens whenever i look forward to it. Dont know whether i would make it or not. Konja naal intha samayal , saappadu vittu free ah irukkalaanna avarukku porukkathe. By avar i mean, GOD. Vera yaarum illa. Infact, it was my aathukaarar who suggested me to go to my fathers place , cos he would be out of station. Even P was enthusiastic about that :(
Keeping my fingers crossed, lets see. If yes, i wouldnt be online for a week or yours truly would be asusual boring everyone with posts.
Keeping my fingers crossed, lets see. If yes, i wouldnt be online for a week or yours truly would be asusual boring everyone with posts.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Kiddie Talks - 11
Went with P to pazhamudhir cholai , and started picking vegetables. His all time and one and only favourite vegetable is Potato . And he was insisting and pestering me to buy potato and radish. (Dont know where he picked that). A lady was standing behind me and she was listening to him all the way..
And she asked him in English
"Do you like to come to vegetable shop and pick vegetables"
He was quiet and was hesitant to answer (quite shy u see)
When i prompted him he said
"Yess. I like to come"
L : What vegetables you like?
P : I like potato and radish.
L : Wowww!! Thats very nice.
Then we resumed our work and he started to speak with me in English ( Naan ennathaan sonnalum english la pesa maattam . Would say " Amma school la thaan eng pesanum, veetla Tamil thaan pesanum, Enga Maam solli irukkanga)
Then we came home and he was all the way talking in English only. I was actually taken aback with his vocabulary. Never heard him / expected him to speak fluently though. As we reached home , he told my paatti that he would speak in english only with her and when i said she doesnt know he said, " I will teach you " (all the way in English)
And sir antha flow laya irunthaara, suddenly he called " Mom" (he used to call me amma)
I said "aaaaaaaaaannnnn" . Avvalavuthaan he felt embarrassed and his face went reddddddd.
Couldnt control laughter. Ukg eh inthaa bandhaanna pirkalathula enna aagumo theriyala. Ithula Amma , u dont know english ah nnu enna vera Kezhvi!!!!!!!!!
And she asked him in English
"Do you like to come to vegetable shop and pick vegetables"
He was quiet and was hesitant to answer (quite shy u see)
When i prompted him he said
"Yess. I like to come"
L : What vegetables you like?
P : I like potato and radish.
L : Wowww!! Thats very nice.
Then we resumed our work and he started to speak with me in English ( Naan ennathaan sonnalum english la pesa maattam . Would say " Amma school la thaan eng pesanum, veetla Tamil thaan pesanum, Enga Maam solli irukkanga)
Then we came home and he was all the way talking in English only. I was actually taken aback with his vocabulary. Never heard him / expected him to speak fluently though. As we reached home , he told my paatti that he would speak in english only with her and when i said she doesnt know he said, " I will teach you " (all the way in English)
And sir antha flow laya irunthaara, suddenly he called " Mom" (he used to call me amma)
I said "aaaaaaaaaannnnn" . Avvalavuthaan he felt embarrassed and his face went reddddddd.
Couldnt control laughter. Ukg eh inthaa bandhaanna pirkalathula enna aagumo theriyala. Ithula Amma , u dont know english ah nnu enna vera Kezhvi!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pondy Bazaar or Paandi Bazaar
Just yesterday i learnt the original name of the so called " Pondy Bazaar".
After nearly three decades of living in chennai (donot try to calculate my age, it may not be right and u would be hurting my ego badly ;))) ) and oorsuthifying in T.Nagar all the way right from schooling to shopping and everything just yesterday i came to know the actual name of the place.
While i was going with P to the dance class i chanced upon to read the name of the police station at the junction in the Panagal Park and it was " Soundarapandi Angadi Police Station "
Thats how Paandi became Pondy . Hence forth it should be called as Paandi bazaar.
This reminds me of the scene in Avvai Shanmugi where Gemini Ganesan and Kamal meet. He would say all the names of his fore-fathers and his name and at last would say " antha varisaiyila Paaannnndiiii" . LOL. The modulation would be excellent. (Please vodaney enna anti-brahmin varisaiyila serthudaathinga, just recollecting thatsall , serthaalum i dont mind)
After nearly three decades of living in chennai (donot try to calculate my age, it may not be right and u would be hurting my ego badly ;))) ) and oorsuthifying in T.Nagar all the way right from schooling to shopping and everything just yesterday i came to know the actual name of the place.
While i was going with P to the dance class i chanced upon to read the name of the police station at the junction in the Panagal Park and it was " Soundarapandi Angadi Police Station "
Thats how Paandi became Pondy . Hence forth it should be called as Paandi bazaar.
This reminds me of the scene in Avvai Shanmugi where Gemini Ganesan and Kamal meet. He would say all the names of his fore-fathers and his name and at last would say " antha varisaiyila Paaannnndiiii" . LOL. The modulation would be excellent. (Please vodaney enna anti-brahmin varisaiyila serthudaathinga, just recollecting thatsall , serthaalum i dont mind)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The climate is very cool and a little dull due to the rains. Though it is not pouring but just drizzling now, the ambience is too good for the following...
HOT BONDAS / BAJJIS / VADAIS (Though i dont mind settling for hot samosas/puffs instead)
HOT CUP OF TEA
A SUSPENSE NOVEL
ILLAYARAJA MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND
All these things in the bedroom with a dim light......
How i wish for the above.....
But the reality strikes..... night tiffen, dance class for P , then again kanji and night dinner for paatti........
HOT BONDAS / BAJJIS / VADAIS (Though i dont mind settling for hot samosas/puffs instead)
HOT CUP OF TEA
A SUSPENSE NOVEL
ILLAYARAJA MUSIC IN THE BACKGROUND
All these things in the bedroom with a dim light......
How i wish for the above.....
But the reality strikes..... night tiffen, dance class for P , then again kanji and night dinner for paatti........
Friday, December 11, 2009
Kumbakonam trip - III
Lalithambigai temple is situated about 1 km from peralam, a small village which is on the way to mayiladudurai. Actually it was past noon and we lost all the hopes of seeing the deity thinking that the temple would be closed from 12 pm - 5 pm. But, my athukkarar wanted to atleast have the gopura darisanam , so we set out to the temple just to catch a glimpse of the temple from outside.
It is amidst a scenic village setup which u normally see in the tamil films. The roads were pretty okay and we heard that it was complete chaos few months before. And finally we reached the temple around 12.45 pm. We had great "kuduppinai" (luck) i suppose, or else how do you account for the temple to be open at that time and that too special pooja with archanais for both the deity. The ambigai there was a mesmeric beauty amidst the old type of temple. I somehow relish the old construction with small praharams but considerably good space outside with lots of trees and garden.
And when old temples are renovated , i feel the basic architecture should not be disturbed. I was in for a surprise and taken back when the "Kasi viswanathar temple" at Easwaran koil street, westmambalam was recently renovated. The temple lost its charm and somehow the new one seemed to be crowded and lost its divinity and seemed more of a mandapam rather than a kovil. I remember playing in the huge space outside the temple and though the praharams were small it gave a sense of peacefulness once you are inside it. With the building and the huge structure it seems to have shrunken rather expand ultimately.
And now back to the trip...
The Peralam village would just have been another in the map if not for the Lalithambigai temple. They have well maintained bath and toilet just situated at 5 min walk from the temple which is under lock and key. You should just have to get the key from the woman at the shop outside the temple and can refresh , but not without a cost which is necessary for them to maintain.Even in the city you cannot imagine restrooms / toilet being maintained at the prominent places. It is more necessary than all the parking places and parks which are being developed .
After the food for the souls , we even had food for our stomachs. As soon as we got the darshan we went towards our car, and were about to start, when two men came rushing towards us. They asked us to come inside and have the prasadhams. At it was around 3.00pm and all we had was the breakfast at chidambaram. It was such a treat with 5 types of prasadhams - puliyodarai, maangai saadam , thayir saadam, chakkarai pongal, and one more sweet - akkara vadisal. While we left we were brimming with gratitude cos we had earlier decided to have grand sweets snacks for lunch and to give the kids bread and jam.
There are few houses outside the temple and please dont hesitate to ask in the first house for home-made food, if you are travelling with a kid. Heard from one of our friends that when you ask them they would serve you with home made food. And mind they would never ask you the money and you can give them as you wish. I donot know whether they follow the practice now also. We came to know about that only after the trip so was unable to check it out.
With the topic revolving around lalithambigai in fullfledge we reached thirukadavur. This is the temple famous for the Aayushomams and the shashtiapthapoorthis. The temple authorities would organise for the decorations and the photos , videos and other requirements for a price.
Lets see about this temple in the next post
P.S - This post had been in the draft for a while.
It is amidst a scenic village setup which u normally see in the tamil films. The roads were pretty okay and we heard that it was complete chaos few months before. And finally we reached the temple around 12.45 pm. We had great "kuduppinai" (luck) i suppose, or else how do you account for the temple to be open at that time and that too special pooja with archanais for both the deity. The ambigai there was a mesmeric beauty amidst the old type of temple. I somehow relish the old construction with small praharams but considerably good space outside with lots of trees and garden.
And when old temples are renovated , i feel the basic architecture should not be disturbed. I was in for a surprise and taken back when the "Kasi viswanathar temple" at Easwaran koil street, westmambalam was recently renovated. The temple lost its charm and somehow the new one seemed to be crowded and lost its divinity and seemed more of a mandapam rather than a kovil. I remember playing in the huge space outside the temple and though the praharams were small it gave a sense of peacefulness once you are inside it. With the building and the huge structure it seems to have shrunken rather expand ultimately.
And now back to the trip...
The Peralam village would just have been another in the map if not for the Lalithambigai temple. They have well maintained bath and toilet just situated at 5 min walk from the temple which is under lock and key. You should just have to get the key from the woman at the shop outside the temple and can refresh , but not without a cost which is necessary for them to maintain.Even in the city you cannot imagine restrooms / toilet being maintained at the prominent places. It is more necessary than all the parking places and parks which are being developed .
After the food for the souls , we even had food for our stomachs. As soon as we got the darshan we went towards our car, and were about to start, when two men came rushing towards us. They asked us to come inside and have the prasadhams. At it was around 3.00pm and all we had was the breakfast at chidambaram. It was such a treat with 5 types of prasadhams - puliyodarai, maangai saadam , thayir saadam, chakkarai pongal, and one more sweet - akkara vadisal. While we left we were brimming with gratitude cos we had earlier decided to have grand sweets snacks for lunch and to give the kids bread and jam.
There are few houses outside the temple and please dont hesitate to ask in the first house for home-made food, if you are travelling with a kid. Heard from one of our friends that when you ask them they would serve you with home made food. And mind they would never ask you the money and you can give them as you wish. I donot know whether they follow the practice now also. We came to know about that only after the trip so was unable to check it out.
With the topic revolving around lalithambigai in fullfledge we reached thirukadavur. This is the temple famous for the Aayushomams and the shashtiapthapoorthis. The temple authorities would organise for the decorations and the photos , videos and other requirements for a price.
Lets see about this temple in the next post
P.S - This post had been in the draft for a while.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
My Grandmother had been ill for the past 20 days. She takes regular medicines with regard to her heart problems. And she is also an ulcer patient, low BP and suffered two fractures. All this and what not more at the age of 80. But this is the longest time she had been in bed.
Never once i had seen her ill for more than a week. Though she would paduthufy me for taking food more than "P" she would recover within a week. This had been a time for testing my patience to the core.
I was able to see clearly "marana bayam" in her eyes. She got tensed for silly issues and all and started relating with all the known and unknown relatives problems with hers.
Ippadithaan enga maama vukku dysentry vanthu avar poi sernthuttar. And no she didnt have dysentery - but just once or twice that too was the effect of prolonged liquid food. Even the liquid food which i insisted were good ones only - juices, oats, kanji maavu, milk and parboiled rice kanji..... It only helped me to maintain without the aid of all glucose IV .
And when we went to kancheepuram, her hometown ,she learnt that she was the only one alive among her classmates and friends. But , her brother who is strong at 95 and his wife have become invisible to her eyes. Its been difficult to maintain her cool and aloof even if i get any death news.
And so far i had never seen deaths as such through my eyes. Only heard, always it was a message from the hospital. And it drives me nuts to be alone when my aathukarar is not in station. I start to imagine all sort of things and spend sleepless nights when she is ill. I would literally pray for the dawn to break.
After i got tired with the "aaruthal route" i have started taking strong route to deal with her. She is always wary of hospitals. So started telling her that if she continues with this sort then there is no other way other than getting her admitted into the hospital.
And this has worked for me today. Lets hope
Never once i had seen her ill for more than a week. Though she would paduthufy me for taking food more than "P" she would recover within a week. This had been a time for testing my patience to the core.
I was able to see clearly "marana bayam" in her eyes. She got tensed for silly issues and all and started relating with all the known and unknown relatives problems with hers.
Ippadithaan enga maama vukku dysentry vanthu avar poi sernthuttar. And no she didnt have dysentery - but just once or twice that too was the effect of prolonged liquid food. Even the liquid food which i insisted were good ones only - juices, oats, kanji maavu, milk and parboiled rice kanji..... It only helped me to maintain without the aid of all glucose IV .
And when we went to kancheepuram, her hometown ,she learnt that she was the only one alive among her classmates and friends. But , her brother who is strong at 95 and his wife have become invisible to her eyes. Its been difficult to maintain her cool and aloof even if i get any death news.
And so far i had never seen deaths as such through my eyes. Only heard, always it was a message from the hospital. And it drives me nuts to be alone when my aathukarar is not in station. I start to imagine all sort of things and spend sleepless nights when she is ill. I would literally pray for the dawn to break.
After i got tired with the "aaruthal route" i have started taking strong route to deal with her. She is always wary of hospitals. So started telling her that if she continues with this sort then there is no other way other than getting her admitted into the hospital.
And this has worked for me today. Lets hope
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Random Ramblings
1.Why I always end up keeping the bread till the last date and gobble it up on the last day or worst even throw it up on the next day?
2. Why ist always people who visit the sick get Horlicks? I end up having 3 - 4 in the shelf always whenever my grandmom falls sick
3. And they assume to get Biscuits for the kids and invariably Goodday - the mega pack!!!! - Why dont they think of nice story books or other savouries ?
4.Whenever i buy vegetables for aviyal for my aathukarar, iam unable to do it and end up doing veg kurma for P?
5. Always the alarm snooze goes off after the 1 hr time? Why cant it stretch for another 1 hr? Invariably i end up late and rush :(
2. Why ist always people who visit the sick get Horlicks? I end up having 3 - 4 in the shelf always whenever my grandmom falls sick
3. And they assume to get Biscuits for the kids and invariably Goodday - the mega pack!!!! - Why dont they think of nice story books or other savouries ?
4.Whenever i buy vegetables for aviyal for my aathukarar, iam unable to do it and end up doing veg kurma for P?
5. Always the alarm snooze goes off after the 1 hr time? Why cant it stretch for another 1 hr? Invariably i end up late and rush :(
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sports day and Summer season
P just now recovered from fever due to viral infection. And one annoying habit of mine (according to aathukarar) is to check P's forehead every 5-10 minutes at the maximum and if i find it that he is having fever at the interval of every 2-3 minutes. Notwithstanding, i would also be taking his temperature every half-an-hour till i find his body to be in normal condition.
Is this annnoyyyiing habit exclusive territory of yours truly or ist the momma syndrome???
Ever since i saw a child suffering from convulsion due to high fever right in the waiting hall of the clinic, i am being extra cautious. My imagination as everyone are aware would travel by leap and bounds. Though i know that keeping my hands constantly over his fore-head would'nt help , iam unable to stop it.
And all this episode started from friday and this was the first time he complained of headache as he returned from school. It all seemed to start with his crying at the loss of his cap which he carries to school , cos they practice in the ground for the upcoming sports day. One girl had taken the cap and went in another van, so P seems to have started crying in the school. Even right from his childhood P is always careful with his things and never loses a thing. And if he loses he would bring the roof down. Though he would share with his friends and all, iam unable to change this habit of him.
When i think of all the mosquito bites and the fog and the chillness, i always feel the summer season was the best. Right from my childhood, except for the surprise holidays during schooldays due to rain, i always have a liking towards the summer season.
Thats why, Chennai is always the best
Is this annnoyyyiing habit exclusive territory of yours truly or ist the momma syndrome???
Ever since i saw a child suffering from convulsion due to high fever right in the waiting hall of the clinic, i am being extra cautious. My imagination as everyone are aware would travel by leap and bounds. Though i know that keeping my hands constantly over his fore-head would'nt help , iam unable to stop it.
And all this episode started from friday and this was the first time he complained of headache as he returned from school. It all seemed to start with his crying at the loss of his cap which he carries to school , cos they practice in the ground for the upcoming sports day. One girl had taken the cap and went in another van, so P seems to have started crying in the school. Even right from his childhood P is always careful with his things and never loses a thing. And if he loses he would bring the roof down. Though he would share with his friends and all, iam unable to change this habit of him.
When i think of all the mosquito bites and the fog and the chillness, i always feel the summer season was the best. Right from my childhood, except for the surprise holidays during schooldays due to rain, i always have a liking towards the summer season.
Thats why, Chennai is always the best
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Ramayana doubts???
Today P was watching Pavanaputra hanuman and the following doubts were raised my P. And i seriously didnt know the answer:
1. Why did Rama kill Vaali from behind the tree? Why didnt he fight with him? Though i knew the reason that vaali would gain his enemy's power , i didnt justify Rama's act. Though there are explanations for that, nothing came to my mind at that time. If anyone can explain, please do...
2. In the cartoon, Hanuman is shown as Siva's incarnation? is that true?
3. Along with Hanuman , so many other people go in three other directions in search of Seetha. If Rama doesnt know the where abouts of Seetha , then how come he gives the sudamani to Hanuman to be shown as a symbol when he meets her?
4. Isnt unfair on the part of Vibishanan to reveal the secret of Ravanas "uyirnaadi"?
Can anyone clear my doubts???????
UPDATE : Got little hanuman book for P and in that the story goes as follows:
Anjana during her childhood days disturbs a sage and he curses her. The curse is such that the moment she falls in love she would turn into a monkey . So, she prays brahma and serves him. Brahma happy with her service tells her that he cannot remove the curse and the only option left is to to give birth to lord shiva. So, she does as advised.
Book name - Little hanuman
Publisher - Seasons Publishing
1. Why did Rama kill Vaali from behind the tree? Why didnt he fight with him? Though i knew the reason that vaali would gain his enemy's power , i didnt justify Rama's act. Though there are explanations for that, nothing came to my mind at that time. If anyone can explain, please do...
2. In the cartoon, Hanuman is shown as Siva's incarnation? is that true?
3. Along with Hanuman , so many other people go in three other directions in search of Seetha. If Rama doesnt know the where abouts of Seetha , then how come he gives the sudamani to Hanuman to be shown as a symbol when he meets her?
4. Isnt unfair on the part of Vibishanan to reveal the secret of Ravanas "uyirnaadi"?
Can anyone clear my doubts???????
UPDATE : Got little hanuman book for P and in that the story goes as follows:
Anjana during her childhood days disturbs a sage and he curses her. The curse is such that the moment she falls in love she would turn into a monkey . So, she prays brahma and serves him. Brahma happy with her service tells her that he cannot remove the curse and the only option left is to to give birth to lord shiva. So, she does as advised.
Book name - Little hanuman
Publisher - Seasons Publishing
Friday, November 27, 2009
Kiddie Talks - 10
My grandmother was watching the megaaaaaaaa serial KOLANGAL. It was worst than the film villu. Still i dont understand how they all watch Devayani and the director. My aathukarar gets irritated to the core if he sees her on the screen especially when she calls in her sweet kuyil voice "Tholllllllllllllls".
And Wednesdays episode was horrible and I was folding the clothes inside the room. P came inside and said :
" Amma nee enna mattum fighting paarkakoodathu athu bad nnu solriye anaa, paatti paaru bad bad ah ellam TV la paarthundu irukkaanga."
The he came inside and closed the door saying, " Naan ithellam paarkamaatten maaa - romba bad paatti "
And Wednesdays episode was horrible and I was folding the clothes inside the room. P came inside and said :
" Amma nee enna mattum fighting paarkakoodathu athu bad nnu solriye anaa, paatti paaru bad bad ah ellam TV la paarthundu irukkaanga."
The he came inside and closed the door saying, " Naan ithellam paarkamaatten maaa - romba bad paatti "
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
P doesnt like to sleep in the afternoons. First of all he wouldnt come to bed in the afternoon. Then where is the question of sleep? But , today i had put him to sleep forcibly, cos he is suffering from cough and cloud. Due to the medicines he is in a drowsy state and thought a few hours of sleep would help him. Waiting to bear his wrath once he gets up
His first and foremost wail would be
Nee en enna thookka paduthuna?!!!!!!!! Paar unnala thaan naan ellathaiyum miss pannitten...... Innaikku full night naan games velayaduven and apparam TV paarpen. Naan innaikku night thoongave maatten.
This would be his standard dialogue......
His first and foremost wail would be
Nee en enna thookka paduthuna?!!!!!!!! Paar unnala thaan naan ellathaiyum miss pannitten...... Innaikku full night naan games velayaduven and apparam TV paarpen. Naan innaikku night thoongave maatten.
This would be his standard dialogue......
Thursday, November 19, 2009
kiddie Talks - 9
My friends father is working in our office post his retirement. And sometimes he would drop us in Ps dance class. Today since my husband was not there , i decided to go by auto.
While we were getting ready for the class, the conversation went as follows:
P : Amma, namba innaikki eppadi poga porom? car or auto?
Me : Auto da.
P : En car kedaiyathu?
Me : Antha thatha innaikki varala office kku?
P : Why?
Me : He is not feeling well.
P : Appo avarukku eppadi kedaikkum ?
Me : Ennathu eppadi kedaikkum?
P : Athaam maa, velaikku ponathaane sambalam kedaikkum, pogatta eppadi avarukku kedaikkum!!!!!!!!
(During saturdays and other holidays he used to ask his dad also to stay at home, so i would tell him that only when u go for work u can get salary and can live comfortably )
Dumbstruck!!!!!!!!!! This is how kids mind work relating and co-relating the events which we cannot even imagine.
While we were getting ready for the class, the conversation went as follows:
P : Amma, namba innaikki eppadi poga porom? car or auto?
Me : Auto da.
P : En car kedaiyathu?
Me : Antha thatha innaikki varala office kku?
P : Why?
Me : He is not feeling well.
P : Appo avarukku eppadi kedaikkum ?
Me : Ennathu eppadi kedaikkum?
P : Athaam maa, velaikku ponathaane sambalam kedaikkum, pogatta eppadi avarukku kedaikkum!!!!!!!!
(During saturdays and other holidays he used to ask his dad also to stay at home, so i would tell him that only when u go for work u can get salary and can live comfortably )
Dumbstruck!!!!!!!!!! This is how kids mind work relating and co-relating the events which we cannot even imagine.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Lesson learnt
Today my aathukarar left for the holy journey to sabarimala. The pooja and irumudi samacharangal ellam took place at one of his ex-colleagues place, and this post is about the pooja and their family.
Their family is something which i started to envy right from the first meet. They have a very big extended family with all the family members present on the pooja occasions. And they are a typical tamil iyer family who give lots of importance to aacharam and anushtanam. Nevertheless those aacharams and anushtanams make them one among the crowd.
The ceremony started with sahasranama pooja and the normal pooja for the iyappan. Then the family members started to sing songs without any prompting. This includes the age group right from 5 - 80 . They didnt shy away in front of us , who are all the more strangers though ex-colleague. The range of songs they chose to sing were also different and not the standard ones being sung during the golu or other occasions. And lot more interesting was the fact that everybody knew their lines and it was not any kind of oppethify.
Then comes the central part of irumudi . Actually for people who have no idea about this - irumudi means the thengai and other neivedyams which are taken to be offered to iyappa kept in a bag with little quantity of rice . The speciality of this is the nei thengai. Havent heard of nei thengai being offered any where else (pls let me know if it is otherwise). And during this everyone used to sing the sarana goshams. And this family without any inhibitions actually enjoyed singing those sarana goshams . Not even singing , it was literal dancing. Except for the north indian families , i havent come across any tamil family who do really enjoy their poojas along with dancing and singing. It was such a treat to watch. All the grown ups literally enjoying themselves unmindful of the surroundings and surrendering themselves to the cause literally.
It might be annoying for few who are more cultured to see those ladies dancing and singing, but i learnt from them to truly enjoy the poojas ,whatever may be, which we perform at home. I just used to chant the slokas and would keep my kid occupied and finish it. But this gave me a insight on how things have to be done.
Even their interactions within themselves were truly eye-opening. It was such a delight to watch the MIL and the DIL both joining their hands in teasing the FIL. Apparam the DIL and the naathanar together started teasing the DIL's brother. No egos and ever smiling faces with no complaints. While taking their blessings i truly felt their genuineness.
Hope i try to be like them without any complaints, back-biting and vambu.
Their family is something which i started to envy right from the first meet. They have a very big extended family with all the family members present on the pooja occasions. And they are a typical tamil iyer family who give lots of importance to aacharam and anushtanam. Nevertheless those aacharams and anushtanams make them one among the crowd.
The ceremony started with sahasranama pooja and the normal pooja for the iyappan. Then the family members started to sing songs without any prompting. This includes the age group right from 5 - 80 . They didnt shy away in front of us , who are all the more strangers though ex-colleague. The range of songs they chose to sing were also different and not the standard ones being sung during the golu or other occasions. And lot more interesting was the fact that everybody knew their lines and it was not any kind of oppethify.
Then comes the central part of irumudi . Actually for people who have no idea about this - irumudi means the thengai and other neivedyams which are taken to be offered to iyappa kept in a bag with little quantity of rice . The speciality of this is the nei thengai. Havent heard of nei thengai being offered any where else (pls let me know if it is otherwise). And during this everyone used to sing the sarana goshams. And this family without any inhibitions actually enjoyed singing those sarana goshams . Not even singing , it was literal dancing. Except for the north indian families , i havent come across any tamil family who do really enjoy their poojas along with dancing and singing. It was such a treat to watch. All the grown ups literally enjoying themselves unmindful of the surroundings and surrendering themselves to the cause literally.
It might be annoying for few who are more cultured to see those ladies dancing and singing, but i learnt from them to truly enjoy the poojas ,whatever may be, which we perform at home. I just used to chant the slokas and would keep my kid occupied and finish it. But this gave me a insight on how things have to be done.
Even their interactions within themselves were truly eye-opening. It was such a delight to watch the MIL and the DIL both joining their hands in teasing the FIL. Apparam the DIL and the naathanar together started teasing the DIL's brother. No egos and ever smiling faces with no complaints. While taking their blessings i truly felt their genuineness.
Hope i try to be like them without any complaints, back-biting and vambu.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
I actually like browsing like a pisasu in the night when everybody is sleeping. I dont know when this fascination started. It started right from my school days. Those days no PC , so used to watch TV which was in the living room. Ours was a joint family and there was a big hall and a common kitchen and one bedroom where my grandma and yours truly used to sleep, in the ground floor. The first floor had four rooms and every one of the rooms were occupied by my uncles.
And in the night all the rooms would be closed and my grandmother would be sleeping , whereas i would watch TV all alone in the living room. Imagine the size of the house where around 20 people would be living. Even during exams i prefer night study. Evening and night programs ellam paarthuttu athukkapparam utkarnthu padikka arambikkarthu. And in those days corporation water would come only in the night and we have to toil ourselves with the hand pumps. And antha saththathila padikkarathe oru thani anubavam.
Thookkame varamaattengarthu... but kalangarthala enga aathukarar coffee kekkarche mattum antha thookkam appadi sozhatti sozhatti adikkarthu .. Enna pannrathu.
And in the night all the rooms would be closed and my grandmother would be sleeping , whereas i would watch TV all alone in the living room. Imagine the size of the house where around 20 people would be living. Even during exams i prefer night study. Evening and night programs ellam paarthuttu athukkapparam utkarnthu padikka arambikkarthu. And in those days corporation water would come only in the night and we have to toil ourselves with the hand pumps. And antha saththathila padikkarathe oru thani anubavam.
Thookkame varamaattengarthu... but kalangarthala enga aathukarar coffee kekkarche mattum antha thookkam appadi sozhatti sozhatti adikkarthu .. Enna pannrathu.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Than vinai thannai chudum
P loves playing games in the computer and this new search tool in the google is of very much help to him. He just like that goes to the search page and types the first few letters and automatically the list is generated. So he is able to play a variety of games by just knowing the first few letters of the superheroes name he wish to play.
So in order to control and discourage him from playing i used to say that "modem has become warm so u should stop playing or else virus would come". Immediately he would shut down the system.
Today when i happened to work while he was watching TV, he came and kept his hands on the modem. Then noticing that it had become warm asked me to close the system. I was on a call simultaneously with one of my colleague and had to check a mail. But he kept on insisting. Ithuthaaan than vinai thannai chudumnu sollratha........
He was very stubborn and nagged me to the core and finally he won. Yaaru amma yaaru paiyanne puriya mattengarthu vara vara...Actually this is a difficult situation. If i insist on working then i wouldnt be able to control him the next time, but had my colleague on the line. Since she was understanding , i avoided further mess of the situation.
So in order to control and discourage him from playing i used to say that "modem has become warm so u should stop playing or else virus would come". Immediately he would shut down the system.
Today when i happened to work while he was watching TV, he came and kept his hands on the modem. Then noticing that it had become warm asked me to close the system. I was on a call simultaneously with one of my colleague and had to check a mail. But he kept on insisting. Ithuthaaan than vinai thannai chudumnu sollratha........
He was very stubborn and nagged me to the core and finally he won. Yaaru amma yaaru paiyanne puriya mattengarthu vara vara...Actually this is a difficult situation. If i insist on working then i wouldnt be able to control him the next time, but had my colleague on the line. Since she was understanding , i avoided further mess of the situation.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
How does love happen?
We were totally 5 girls in the class during our 11th and 12th. Our school had both CBSE as well State board , and since it was a general practice among students to switch over from CBSE to State , we had only minimum strength. And athuleyum commerce group appadinna kekkave vendam. There is this general belief that only students who lack intelligence and who score less marks go to commerce stream. But to say the truth everyone of them in our class had secured around 90% in their 12th and it was more than the average of science stream. And among them half of us turned out to be professionals. Okie now let me put a stop to one of my famous ramblings and turn towards the topic in discussion.
During our free sessions we will always indulge in group discussions. Please dont assume that we would discuss about boys or studies which is a normal practice. But on topics of national importance like love, character building, right age for marriage and the most frequent one being swot analysis of every one present from others point of view. This would be lively because the boys present would be more studious and would study with both ears glued to our discussions.
We would discuss any given topic in a debate format which would always end with yours truly being in the winning group. Iam a very convincing speaker though always end up being a boom-boom maadu in a given argument with my dear aathukarar. He somehow convinces me and leaves me no time to think. Hmmm athellam ippo ethukku!!!!!!!!!!
Okie , now one such topic was "How does love happen?" Does it happen at first sight or only after considerable time? I feel that there exists some spark when u meet Mr/Ms Right. And befriending him and being a friend for sometime and all a hogwash afterall. Do you think a girl/boy would try to show out their negative aspects when being with a opposite sex. IT IS ALWAYS ABSURD. Each and every one of them would try to show and project their positive aspects only.
And i have seen people saying that we have common interests and attributes and that is why we have fallen in love. Ella vishayathilum othu pona apparam life la oru interest eh irukkaathu. When you truly love a person you should accept them as they are and is this a job interview to see whether he is compatible enough to be your spouse....I dont advocate the fact you should love what the cause/effect may be or however the person may be. In fact, i have felt glad when few of my friends broke their affair after finding out the dark side of the person.
Whether love or arranged , people go into the relationship only based on probabilities and i personally feel that they would be more cautious to save their marriage in case of love marriage to avoid blame game.
I remember our economics mam saying once " In anycase whether you love somebody or not , you people are going to end up marrying somebody and having a dependent relationship at some point in your life. So why waste your present moments in falling for it and just for the sake of love ruining your studies (some people). "
But these days girls are clever and they just dont go and fall into it with closed eyes. In fact they consider all those merits and de-merits before choosing a life partner. I pity only boys these days.
During our free sessions we will always indulge in group discussions. Please dont assume that we would discuss about boys or studies which is a normal practice. But on topics of national importance like love, character building, right age for marriage and the most frequent one being swot analysis of every one present from others point of view. This would be lively because the boys present would be more studious and would study with both ears glued to our discussions.
We would discuss any given topic in a debate format which would always end with yours truly being in the winning group. Iam a very convincing speaker though always end up being a boom-boom maadu in a given argument with my dear aathukarar. He somehow convinces me and leaves me no time to think. Hmmm athellam ippo ethukku!!!!!!!!!!
Okie , now one such topic was "How does love happen?" Does it happen at first sight or only after considerable time? I feel that there exists some spark when u meet Mr/Ms Right. And befriending him and being a friend for sometime and all a hogwash afterall. Do you think a girl/boy would try to show out their negative aspects when being with a opposite sex. IT IS ALWAYS ABSURD. Each and every one of them would try to show and project their positive aspects only.
And i have seen people saying that we have common interests and attributes and that is why we have fallen in love. Ella vishayathilum othu pona apparam life la oru interest eh irukkaathu. When you truly love a person you should accept them as they are and is this a job interview to see whether he is compatible enough to be your spouse....I dont advocate the fact you should love what the cause/effect may be or however the person may be. In fact, i have felt glad when few of my friends broke their affair after finding out the dark side of the person.
Whether love or arranged , people go into the relationship only based on probabilities and i personally feel that they would be more cautious to save their marriage in case of love marriage to avoid blame game.
I remember our economics mam saying once " In anycase whether you love somebody or not , you people are going to end up marrying somebody and having a dependent relationship at some point in your life. So why waste your present moments in falling for it and just for the sake of love ruining your studies (some people). "
But these days girls are clever and they just dont go and fall into it with closed eyes. In fact they consider all those merits and de-merits before choosing a life partner. I pity only boys these days.
Friday, November 6, 2009
kiddie talks - 8
I was not feeling well yesterday and suffering to bad cold and cough (courtesy : sinus) . So didnt send P to school (update : this is from my draft and the day is Monday)
Morning just woke up and gave P his milk and bread for breakfast and went back to hit my sack and around 12.00 just woke up and made paruppu rasam. Gave the paruppu satham with rasam to my grandmother to be given to P and went back to my bed. So after few hours of rest i was feeling better , so started my routine from the evening.
Made P to study and finished cooking for dinner and ironed our clothes and kept them in order. All the while P didnt say anything and while we prepared to go to bed he came and asked me..
"Amma enna kaarthala irunthu chumma acting pannittu irunthiyaaa, ippo nee nalla thaana irukka ."
And all the while when he behaved well without making fuss i was feeling proud just to hear these lines from him. HMMM ..... inime athukkagave chumma vanum paduthundu irukkanumnu purinjithu.
Morning just woke up and gave P his milk and bread for breakfast and went back to hit my sack and around 12.00 just woke up and made paruppu rasam. Gave the paruppu satham with rasam to my grandmother to be given to P and went back to my bed. So after few hours of rest i was feeling better , so started my routine from the evening.
Made P to study and finished cooking for dinner and ironed our clothes and kept them in order. All the while P didnt say anything and while we prepared to go to bed he came and asked me..
"Amma enna kaarthala irunthu chumma acting pannittu irunthiyaaa, ippo nee nalla thaana irukka ."
And all the while when he behaved well without making fuss i was feeling proud just to hear these lines from him. HMMM ..... inime athukkagave chumma vanum paduthundu irukkanumnu purinjithu.
Dos and Donts during the pregnancy
This series deals with the methods which i followed with P from his birth(conception stage in this post alone) till date. The posts would also include the mistakes which I made, so that it can be avoided by the readers. This is purely my views and need not necessarily be followed to the T. If anything is wrong, it may kindly be pointed out.
Before the birth during conception
Please be relaxed and wipe out the negative thoughts and the inferiority complex,if any, completely from your mind. It plays major role in the character building of your child. Always remember that the mood and mindset during the conception period plays major role. I brooded a lot and used to cry thinking of my mother and the care which i was missing. Though my aathukarar and grandmother took very good care , nobody can replace a mother during those days. So whatever the case may be , try to be cheerful thinking of your child and it is the time to relish rather than brooding. Because P tends to get tears at the slightest hint of any disapproval or if something goes wrong.. i feel it might be largely attributed to my sulky nature during those days.
Hear good music and especially soothing ones rather than those loud ones. I used to hear gayathri japam and carnatic songs and melody songs from films. Music creates a peaceful atmosphere both for the soul and our mind . We tend to concentrate on the lyrics and the song and in the process forget other worries. It also has an impact on the child who in the later years shows inclination towards music. P , when u watch closely would always be singing something or the other when he is engrossed in his work. Even if not working, he would be murmuring some song.
Try to visit temples atleast once a week. I sincerely feel all my prayers and the daily visits and the raghavendra swamys theertham only saved P. It really gives u confidence and the aura surrounding you and the vibes which people pass when they see a pregnant lady would definitely bring positive energy and a smile on your face.
Eat lots of veggies and less of rice. Its a misconception that we should eat for 2, whereas the regular quantity with a slight increase of proteins and vitamins would be more than sufficient. Also include fruits to your diet and if it is summer season have a control on your intake of mangoes in particular and sweets in general, cos it may lead to pregnancy sugar in the later stages. I suffered like that and i was made to have coffee without sugar and avoid sugar contained foods and was forced to be on diet .
The diet chart was literally 2 marie biscuits, 1 cup rice and 2 chappathis and 1 cup of coffee without sugar and in the evening handful of groundnuts or peas and night - 2 chappathis. But i didnt follow any of the thing except that i avoided sugar and coconut and restricted my rice content. All the way my aathukarar was making fun of the dietitian when she explained and it was hard for me to listen to her.
On the whole be happy and prepared to welcome ur precious little one to this world with joy.
P.S - All of my close friends are pregnant (4 of them) and this prompted me to write this post.
Before the birth during conception
Please be relaxed and wipe out the negative thoughts and the inferiority complex,if any, completely from your mind. It plays major role in the character building of your child. Always remember that the mood and mindset during the conception period plays major role. I brooded a lot and used to cry thinking of my mother and the care which i was missing. Though my aathukarar and grandmother took very good care , nobody can replace a mother during those days. So whatever the case may be , try to be cheerful thinking of your child and it is the time to relish rather than brooding. Because P tends to get tears at the slightest hint of any disapproval or if something goes wrong.. i feel it might be largely attributed to my sulky nature during those days.
Hear good music and especially soothing ones rather than those loud ones. I used to hear gayathri japam and carnatic songs and melody songs from films. Music creates a peaceful atmosphere both for the soul and our mind . We tend to concentrate on the lyrics and the song and in the process forget other worries. It also has an impact on the child who in the later years shows inclination towards music. P , when u watch closely would always be singing something or the other when he is engrossed in his work. Even if not working, he would be murmuring some song.
Try to visit temples atleast once a week. I sincerely feel all my prayers and the daily visits and the raghavendra swamys theertham only saved P. It really gives u confidence and the aura surrounding you and the vibes which people pass when they see a pregnant lady would definitely bring positive energy and a smile on your face.
Eat lots of veggies and less of rice. Its a misconception that we should eat for 2, whereas the regular quantity with a slight increase of proteins and vitamins would be more than sufficient. Also include fruits to your diet and if it is summer season have a control on your intake of mangoes in particular and sweets in general, cos it may lead to pregnancy sugar in the later stages. I suffered like that and i was made to have coffee without sugar and avoid sugar contained foods and was forced to be on diet .
The diet chart was literally 2 marie biscuits, 1 cup rice and 2 chappathis and 1 cup of coffee without sugar and in the evening handful of groundnuts or peas and night - 2 chappathis. But i didnt follow any of the thing except that i avoided sugar and coconut and restricted my rice content. All the way my aathukarar was making fun of the dietitian when she explained and it was hard for me to listen to her.
On the whole be happy and prepared to welcome ur precious little one to this world with joy.
P.S - All of my close friends are pregnant (4 of them) and this prompted me to write this post.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Kiddie Talks - 7
My aathukarars sony ericson p1i has started giving problems and the touch pad is not working. So when he was away in delhi i was not able to reach him. The girl was always saying he was not reachable at the moment and asked to record a message.
So, i gave my mobile to P and asked him to try once again to reach his father. Suddenly he started speaking. And i was wondering how he got the line. And when i listened closely..
P : Neenga konjam quiet ah irukkeengala, nan enga appa kooda konjam pesanum.... (why dont u be quiet for some time i would like to speak to my father)
LOL :))))
So, i gave my mobile to P and asked him to try once again to reach his father. Suddenly he started speaking. And i was wondering how he got the line. And when i listened closely..
P : Neenga konjam quiet ah irukkeengala, nan enga appa kooda konjam pesanum.... (why dont u be quiet for some time i would like to speak to my father)
LOL :))))
Friday, October 30, 2009
Kaalam maridichu
I somehow dont seem to recollect how i studied my KG's. What exactly did i study? How did i get through the various standards. My latest memory is of I standard where the whole class used to recite the multiplication tables. Now i wonder how do i go about with my son.
Last week we went for the open house in his school. These days the parents are more anxious and are trembling before the teacher for her remarks about their child. Irrespective of your status in the society whether u r a professional or a home-maker or a businessman, invariably you are made to sit in the classroom (that too on the small benches) to receive the report card of your child. It brought back memories of me carrying my report card to my grandmother to get her signature and preparing explanations all the way to home to be given. And i would never give her the report card in the evening if i had scored bad marks. The auspicious time would be the morning time , that too just before getting into the riksha who had been made to wait atleast for 10 minutes. Now-a-days iam waiting indefinitely for the van to come along with my kid and aathukarar(ellam antha rikshaman kudutha saabam thaan) that too in the vaasal cos we live in the first floor.
And regarding the report card, though it was the review of first term with no marks / grades i can see parents comparing the review and discussing among themselves. I was glad that i had been among the first few so that i need not participate in those discussions. I just finished my turn and rushed home. But, i should say, whatever things i write or think about parenting i was proud and happy when his teacher said he was doing extremely well and was excellent in his reading. Iam thinking of posting some tips which i followed during P's early days to make him understand and read various things so that it would be helpful for other kids. Those people who teased me when i started during his 10th month are now wondering aloud about his progress. So, it is always good to start early.
Now, this post ends with a note that i made a short trip to bangalore last week for a reception. It was truly a dashing trip with a stop at sripuram, vellore. So, imagine if i say a stop of about 16 hrs in vellore on the way to bangalore means how much time i would have actually spent there. We started by car on friday and ended up spending our night in vellore and in the morning went to the temple and had our breakfast there (it was really a yummy pongal both sweet and melagu one) and lunch in M's grandmas house and started to bglre around 3 pm. Reached bglre border around 5.15 pm (it was very pathetic to see those tar on the tamil words written on the thoranavayil). And all the while we were in bangalore i was afraid that we had to go in a car with a TN registration plate . Then attended a reception in bglre at palace grounds, and you wouldnt believe it took almost 45 minutes for us just to take a U-turn and go to the other side of the road to reach the gayathri vihar. Pathetic roads and traffic control, namba chennai evvalavo thevala. Again started to chennai with a stop at vellore in the morning.
P was more excited with the concept of staying in a hotel that he kept on asking us that we go every weekend to bangalore to stay in the same suite.
Last week we went for the open house in his school. These days the parents are more anxious and are trembling before the teacher for her remarks about their child. Irrespective of your status in the society whether u r a professional or a home-maker or a businessman, invariably you are made to sit in the classroom (that too on the small benches) to receive the report card of your child. It brought back memories of me carrying my report card to my grandmother to get her signature and preparing explanations all the way to home to be given. And i would never give her the report card in the evening if i had scored bad marks. The auspicious time would be the morning time , that too just before getting into the riksha who had been made to wait atleast for 10 minutes. Now-a-days iam waiting indefinitely for the van to come along with my kid and aathukarar(ellam antha rikshaman kudutha saabam thaan) that too in the vaasal cos we live in the first floor.
And regarding the report card, though it was the review of first term with no marks / grades i can see parents comparing the review and discussing among themselves. I was glad that i had been among the first few so that i need not participate in those discussions. I just finished my turn and rushed home. But, i should say, whatever things i write or think about parenting i was proud and happy when his teacher said he was doing extremely well and was excellent in his reading. Iam thinking of posting some tips which i followed during P's early days to make him understand and read various things so that it would be helpful for other kids. Those people who teased me when i started during his 10th month are now wondering aloud about his progress. So, it is always good to start early.
Now, this post ends with a note that i made a short trip to bangalore last week for a reception. It was truly a dashing trip with a stop at sripuram, vellore. So, imagine if i say a stop of about 16 hrs in vellore on the way to bangalore means how much time i would have actually spent there. We started by car on friday and ended up spending our night in vellore and in the morning went to the temple and had our breakfast there (it was really a yummy pongal both sweet and melagu one) and lunch in M's grandmas house and started to bglre around 3 pm. Reached bglre border around 5.15 pm (it was very pathetic to see those tar on the tamil words written on the thoranavayil). And all the while we were in bangalore i was afraid that we had to go in a car with a TN registration plate . Then attended a reception in bglre at palace grounds, and you wouldnt believe it took almost 45 minutes for us just to take a U-turn and go to the other side of the road to reach the gayathri vihar. Pathetic roads and traffic control, namba chennai evvalavo thevala. Again started to chennai with a stop at vellore in the morning.
P was more excited with the concept of staying in a hotel that he kept on asking us that we go every weekend to bangalore to stay in the same suite.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Kiddie talks - 6
P : Amma, Moon irunthaa athu enna "aasai"
Me : Blinking . Appadinna ennada enakku onnum puriyalaye.
P : Athuthaan maa, mam school la sonnanga nnu sonnene.
Then only it striked me that he was asking about the ammavasai. They had taught him the previous day about the full moon day and no moon day. So, moon illatti ammavasai appadinna, moon iruntha athu enna aasai.
Then explained him that it was pournami.
When i was sitting in a chair he came around me again and again and said " neethaan sun naan thaan earth ". so ippo appava enna suththa sollu, avar thaan moon.
I think children these days are far ahead of our times, and we have to be equipped in order to travel if not ahead along with them.
Me : Blinking . Appadinna ennada enakku onnum puriyalaye.
P : Athuthaan maa, mam school la sonnanga nnu sonnene.
Then only it striked me that he was asking about the ammavasai. They had taught him the previous day about the full moon day and no moon day. So, moon illatti ammavasai appadinna, moon iruntha athu enna aasai.
Then explained him that it was pournami.
When i was sitting in a chair he came around me again and again and said " neethaan sun naan thaan earth ". so ippo appava enna suththa sollu, avar thaan moon.
I think children these days are far ahead of our times, and we have to be equipped in order to travel if not ahead along with them.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Hurray!
Hurray!! This is my 50th post. Though people wanted to celebrate ;)))) in a big way by putting up banners and poster like the one which held in kancheepuram ( pls dont ask what it is , i expect everyone to be well-informed, athukkum mela engathukku auto llam varappadathu illayonno ) i modestly discouraged them . Ennatha irunthalum enakku tharpugazhchillam pidikkathu.
So, iam giving myself a pat on the cheek and a big hug........(cos iam a lazy one, so 50 post ezhuthinathe periya vishayam illaya). I know there are people who have been blogging for years together, aana avalta ellam naama kittaye poga mudiyaathu, etho nammala mudinjathu.
Went to the landmark sale, but i was unable to find good books ( to be true books at all) on phonics . Now-a-days these schools follow the curriculum based on the phonics, but publishers are yet to come out with good books on the subject. The ones which i found were just the name-sake ones. But, i picked few story books for my kid and a book on "facts".
I also picked few R.K.Narayan books , though read them in library i always wanted to own them.
Always i wanted to own a huge library, and i have just started to pursue it in a small way. Whenever i go out i just pick out books for my kids. Now, i have close to around 100 books. Needless , to say it occupies major space in my house. About 90% are story books for my kid which are in easy to read language. Rest of them are my collections. This is apart from our professional books which constitutes 3 sacks. I hate to keep them in sacks but lack of space forces us to keep them. I always wanted to have my own study room with huge display racks as in libraries.
Wish all of you a happy and safe deepavali.
P.S - Still deepavali purchase is pending . Enga aathukarar atleast saturday kku munnadiyavathu vaangi kudupparunnu nenaikkiren. (I already have a pattu saree from my father , but paavam my kid)
So, iam giving myself a pat on the cheek and a big hug........(cos iam a lazy one, so 50 post ezhuthinathe periya vishayam illaya). I know there are people who have been blogging for years together, aana avalta ellam naama kittaye poga mudiyaathu, etho nammala mudinjathu.
Went to the landmark sale, but i was unable to find good books ( to be true books at all) on phonics . Now-a-days these schools follow the curriculum based on the phonics, but publishers are yet to come out with good books on the subject. The ones which i found were just the name-sake ones. But, i picked few story books for my kid and a book on "facts".
I also picked few R.K.Narayan books , though read them in library i always wanted to own them.
Always i wanted to own a huge library, and i have just started to pursue it in a small way. Whenever i go out i just pick out books for my kids. Now, i have close to around 100 books. Needless , to say it occupies major space in my house. About 90% are story books for my kid which are in easy to read language. Rest of them are my collections. This is apart from our professional books which constitutes 3 sacks. I hate to keep them in sacks but lack of space forces us to keep them. I always wanted to have my own study room with huge display racks as in libraries.
Wish all of you a happy and safe deepavali.
P.S - Still deepavali purchase is pending . Enga aathukarar atleast saturday kku munnadiyavathu vaangi kudupparunnu nenaikkiren. (I already have a pattu saree from my father , but paavam my kid)
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Past Fortnight
Well, can so much happen in a fortnight? The answer is yes. First of all an event happened twice and i was apprehensive about penning it down for the simple reason that it brought back the bitter and the spine chilling experience again. But , finally i made up my mind that to ensure it doesnt happen again i should pour it out and empty myself.
I have heard so many times the phrase " oru nimisham oru ugam maathiri" but havent experienced it untill last week. The first one took place in a famous store in pondy bazaar. I used to be very proud of the fact that my kiddo was extra smart and very cautious but, he proved my belief wrong and also made me feel guilty. Just penning my thoughts itself gives me nightmares and it is like re-living the experience. That day my kids class got cancelled so inspite of his protest to go straight to home i took him to the shop. I felt that if we went straight home he might either go for TV or the PC, so in order to drag the time i planned to go for shopping.
We purchased some books and a toy for him there and when we went to the counter which was in the ground floor ,he stayed in the steps leading to it which were hardly 10 in numbers. I stood in the counter and had an eye on him as well. But, when i just took my eye to take out the cash and looked again he was not to be seen there. Gosh!!! fresh shrills went up to my spine and my first thought was someone had taken him. I rushed outside to confirm that he didnt leave the store. But there was no sign of him and the security and one of the store manager who was standing there told me that no child went outside alone. But, i wasnt convinced and searched again and then went to the basement and called aloud his name. It would be silly to say one hundred thoughts passed in my mind and i was afraid that he would go past me if i leave the entrance and check the first floor. At that time i started calling my aathukarar and tears started rolling down my cheeks. When the ring was going i just looked accidently in the first floor and there was my kid standing and crying with one of the shop assistant and words cannot describe my feelings i felt on seeing him. Immediately i disconnected the call and rushed towards him. He was scared and i didnt ask him anything at that moment. And i profusely thanked everyone and once i got out of the store i started telling him how worried i was when i was unable to find him. Then he told me that he was just sitting there and when i went to the counter he was unable to see me and assumed that i had gone back to the first floor.
Irony is that i have this series of read aloud books called "Bruno series" where one of the book is Bruno gets lost. I religiously tell him everyday the story and make him answer the questions at the back of the book where a similar story is printed. I felt very guilty in assuming the things and not taking proper care. This iam saying cos the incident got repeated two days later in the kamatchiammman temple in kancheepuram where i had gone with my sister, chithi, athai and paatti. There too while doing the prathakshanam i assumed that he was with my sister but he had stopped enroute to do the namaskaram before the dwajasthambam. It was our practice to do in every temple and since there was heavy crowd we decided that after prathakshanam we would do the namaskaram. But hardly we went 10 steps when we noticed him missing. Ran and came backwards in search of him when i found him with a lady who was about to take him to the office since he was crying and standing there. Again thanked her and got nice thittu from her for being so careless. Never i had been this careless, and all the way iam feeling guilty. Am i not a good mother and how can i repeat the same thing twice. Always my aathukarar used to complain that when iam on road i used to "parakku paathufy".
Okie. Now to reduce the intensity of this post.
Went to the doctor since my kid had cough for the past one week
kid : Dr. Ungalukku sticker venuma
Dr : (avarukku mothalla onnum puriyala) Ennathu sticker ah? Seri okay venum enna sticker vechindrukke.
Kid : Spiderman sticker. Aana neenga enakku oosi (injection) poda koodathu , appothaan ungalukku sticker tharuven.
Both doctor and his wife were astonished and later burst out laughing.
(I didnt know that he carried the stickers and somehow assumed that the dr was going to put injections, cos we vaccinated him the previous month)
I have heard so many times the phrase " oru nimisham oru ugam maathiri" but havent experienced it untill last week. The first one took place in a famous store in pondy bazaar. I used to be very proud of the fact that my kiddo was extra smart and very cautious but, he proved my belief wrong and also made me feel guilty. Just penning my thoughts itself gives me nightmares and it is like re-living the experience. That day my kids class got cancelled so inspite of his protest to go straight to home i took him to the shop. I felt that if we went straight home he might either go for TV or the PC, so in order to drag the time i planned to go for shopping.
We purchased some books and a toy for him there and when we went to the counter which was in the ground floor ,he stayed in the steps leading to it which were hardly 10 in numbers. I stood in the counter and had an eye on him as well. But, when i just took my eye to take out the cash and looked again he was not to be seen there. Gosh!!! fresh shrills went up to my spine and my first thought was someone had taken him. I rushed outside to confirm that he didnt leave the store. But there was no sign of him and the security and one of the store manager who was standing there told me that no child went outside alone. But, i wasnt convinced and searched again and then went to the basement and called aloud his name. It would be silly to say one hundred thoughts passed in my mind and i was afraid that he would go past me if i leave the entrance and check the first floor. At that time i started calling my aathukarar and tears started rolling down my cheeks. When the ring was going i just looked accidently in the first floor and there was my kid standing and crying with one of the shop assistant and words cannot describe my feelings i felt on seeing him. Immediately i disconnected the call and rushed towards him. He was scared and i didnt ask him anything at that moment. And i profusely thanked everyone and once i got out of the store i started telling him how worried i was when i was unable to find him. Then he told me that he was just sitting there and when i went to the counter he was unable to see me and assumed that i had gone back to the first floor.
Irony is that i have this series of read aloud books called "Bruno series" where one of the book is Bruno gets lost. I religiously tell him everyday the story and make him answer the questions at the back of the book where a similar story is printed. I felt very guilty in assuming the things and not taking proper care. This iam saying cos the incident got repeated two days later in the kamatchiammman temple in kancheepuram where i had gone with my sister, chithi, athai and paatti. There too while doing the prathakshanam i assumed that he was with my sister but he had stopped enroute to do the namaskaram before the dwajasthambam. It was our practice to do in every temple and since there was heavy crowd we decided that after prathakshanam we would do the namaskaram. But hardly we went 10 steps when we noticed him missing. Ran and came backwards in search of him when i found him with a lady who was about to take him to the office since he was crying and standing there. Again thanked her and got nice thittu from her for being so careless. Never i had been this careless, and all the way iam feeling guilty. Am i not a good mother and how can i repeat the same thing twice. Always my aathukarar used to complain that when iam on road i used to "parakku paathufy".
Okie. Now to reduce the intensity of this post.
Went to the doctor since my kid had cough for the past one week
kid : Dr. Ungalukku sticker venuma
Dr : (avarukku mothalla onnum puriyala) Ennathu sticker ah? Seri okay venum enna sticker vechindrukke.
Kid : Spiderman sticker. Aana neenga enakku oosi (injection) poda koodathu , appothaan ungalukku sticker tharuven.
Both doctor and his wife were astonished and later burst out laughing.
(I didnt know that he carried the stickers and somehow assumed that the dr was going to put injections, cos we vaccinated him the previous month)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Unnaipol Oruvan
This is not a movie review, just penning my thoughts about the movie and the movie watching experience. Ever since i heard and read about the movie A Wednesday i desperately wanted to watch the movie. The weird thing about my hindi is i know how to write and read, but cannot understand the language. Though i got the first mark in hindi in school till 8th std(plz never mind it was CBSE third language) , still i get confusion between "tha and thee". The concept of gender for things never got into mind. Please dont ask whether iam through with English grammar. That's a separate story.
Okay now on to the movie... First thing to say is that i didnt watch A Wednesday and do not know about the story except for the one-liner, so i went complete with an open mind. To say precisely about the movie would be - Perfect in all sense. No songs to deviate, no unnecessary punch dialogues, sentiments and the super hero fights. Just a movie from an ordinary man's perspective. It doesnt mean that i hate all those masala movies, iam a hardcore fan of thillu mullu and micheal madana kamarajan. I can watch these movies even today without changing the channels.
My aathukarar said that the film had fantastic screenplay, and sorry to say this i donot know what a screenplay is, though he explained me later. What i felt was it took me along with it as the story travelled. Every actor in that movie were tailor-made and their body language and the mannerisms added gloss to their performance. Whether it was those two cops at their best or the TV anchor or the computer website hijacker, each had their own moment of glory.
This movie too had a hint of humour , love and sentiments but in a perfect dosage. When it was advertised that Shruti haasan was the music composer , i expected at least couple of songs. And i was completely surprised to see a song less movie. Not to include those back ground scores and the bits of songs. What i meant was a flash back song or a romance one.
But not everyone can enjoy the dialogues since half of it were in English especially the war of authority scenes between Mohanlal and Lakshmi (sorry please reduce the make-up in the next movie atleast , it was horrible watching all those close-up shots) . Humour was laced amidst the gripping scenes in the form of one-line dialogues . IIT drop out guys casualness is worth mentioning with the modern lingos.
On the whole it was a beautiful movie without any compromise and a crisp story line. Though the ending was not a convincing one.
Letme post the experience in the next post
Okay now on to the movie... First thing to say is that i didnt watch A Wednesday and do not know about the story except for the one-liner, so i went complete with an open mind. To say precisely about the movie would be - Perfect in all sense. No songs to deviate, no unnecessary punch dialogues, sentiments and the super hero fights. Just a movie from an ordinary man's perspective. It doesnt mean that i hate all those masala movies, iam a hardcore fan of thillu mullu and micheal madana kamarajan. I can watch these movies even today without changing the channels.
My aathukarar said that the film had fantastic screenplay, and sorry to say this i donot know what a screenplay is, though he explained me later. What i felt was it took me along with it as the story travelled. Every actor in that movie were tailor-made and their body language and the mannerisms added gloss to their performance. Whether it was those two cops at their best or the TV anchor or the computer website hijacker, each had their own moment of glory.
This movie too had a hint of humour , love and sentiments but in a perfect dosage. When it was advertised that Shruti haasan was the music composer , i expected at least couple of songs. And i was completely surprised to see a song less movie. Not to include those back ground scores and the bits of songs. What i meant was a flash back song or a romance one.
But not everyone can enjoy the dialogues since half of it were in English especially the war of authority scenes between Mohanlal and Lakshmi (sorry please reduce the make-up in the next movie atleast , it was horrible watching all those close-up shots) . Humour was laced amidst the gripping scenes in the form of one-line dialogues . IIT drop out guys casualness is worth mentioning with the modern lingos.
On the whole it was a beautiful movie without any compromise and a crisp story line. Though the ending was not a convincing one.
Letme post the experience in the next post
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Chocolates
I somehow dont like the taste of all these milk chocolates. Some how the white color doesnt impress me much and it doesnt give me the feel of chocolate at all. The taste is so blunt and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. (isnt weird to hear)
I always had a penchant for these chocolates with a hint of nuts and also the wafer chocolates. Especially kit kat and perk (who would forget the preity zinta ad ) .My all time favourite is Dairy Milk. All the special occasions would demand a bar of Dairy Milk.
My recent craze are these unique and delicious Ferrero Rocher chocolate sweets which come individually warped in a distinctive and rich looking gold colored wrapper. I learnt that these candies are made of roasted hazelnuts. They just melt in your mouth and i like the sweet sensation tingling in your mouth. ( should watch out for calories though)
And there were a whole lots of chocolates all of which were available for 25 np and 50 np . To name a few caramilk, coconut punch, aasai , lacto king, and this pulippu mittai which would leave a sore tongue at the end of it.
There was this theatre just a stone's throw away from our house where we friends would hand out once in a while. So while we are up to the movie we would fill our bags with this brownie chocolate which was 5p at that time. It is a groundnut coated with chocolate and was called the bournvita chocolate and who would forget the sweet honey laced then mittai. I just would love it. Whenever i and my cousin used to go to the shop which was just behind our house to get "vethala paakku" for my grandpa we would demand extra money to get these then mittais.
It was also a season of frymes and wheel chips but i didnt favour them much. I hated the very chikku naatham of it. But, i loved those cute little samosas.
Somehow all those little expeditions gave us the chance to know the value of money. They trusted us with the money how much ever little it was. It gave us a sense of responsibilities and a penchant for savings. But, i dont think i give the same to my son. All those fun of running to the " mona naattar kadai" whenever we get a little amount from our grandparents or relatives cannot be put into words. I feel guilty when i take him to the super market and allow him to choose from a wide range of products. But i make sure to tell him the price of that and try to teach him the value of money in my own possible way.
I always had a penchant for these chocolates with a hint of nuts and also the wafer chocolates. Especially kit kat and perk (who would forget the preity zinta ad ) .My all time favourite is Dairy Milk. All the special occasions would demand a bar of Dairy Milk.
My recent craze are these unique and delicious Ferrero Rocher chocolate sweets which come individually warped in a distinctive and rich looking gold colored wrapper. I learnt that these candies are made of roasted hazelnuts. They just melt in your mouth and i like the sweet sensation tingling in your mouth. ( should watch out for calories though)
And there were a whole lots of chocolates all of which were available for 25 np and 50 np . To name a few caramilk, coconut punch, aasai , lacto king, and this pulippu mittai which would leave a sore tongue at the end of it.
There was this theatre just a stone's throw away from our house where we friends would hand out once in a while. So while we are up to the movie we would fill our bags with this brownie chocolate which was 5p at that time. It is a groundnut coated with chocolate and was called the bournvita chocolate and who would forget the sweet honey laced then mittai. I just would love it. Whenever i and my cousin used to go to the shop which was just behind our house to get "vethala paakku" for my grandpa we would demand extra money to get these then mittais.
It was also a season of frymes and wheel chips but i didnt favour them much. I hated the very chikku naatham of it. But, i loved those cute little samosas.
Somehow all those little expeditions gave us the chance to know the value of money. They trusted us with the money how much ever little it was. It gave us a sense of responsibilities and a penchant for savings. But, i dont think i give the same to my son. All those fun of running to the " mona naattar kadai" whenever we get a little amount from our grandparents or relatives cannot be put into words. I feel guilty when i take him to the super market and allow him to choose from a wide range of products. But i make sure to tell him the price of that and try to teach him the value of money in my own possible way.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Random thoughts...
Iam reading Birthright - a book of Nora Roberts. Iam very well able to relate to the protagonist (not in the exact sense though)
I did clean our bathrooms - it might sound silly but when i clean the bathrooms and toilets somehow i feel i have spent my day qualitatively. It gives me pleasure to see the ever sparkling tiles. Am i sounding foolish :(
And yippee my kid had the full quota of snacks and lunch which i gave him and he gave me the prolonged happiness by finishing the full bowl of beetroot halwa which i gave him.
Without me prompting he himself gave rest to the PC from exploding (he plays games by googling the superhero names ) by shutting it down and sat back with his notebook to study. (he is in his UKG)
Got to make raagi dosai for my dear aathukkarar.
I did clean our bathrooms - it might sound silly but when i clean the bathrooms and toilets somehow i feel i have spent my day qualitatively. It gives me pleasure to see the ever sparkling tiles. Am i sounding foolish :(
And yippee my kid had the full quota of snacks and lunch which i gave him and he gave me the prolonged happiness by finishing the full bowl of beetroot halwa which i gave him.
Without me prompting he himself gave rest to the PC from exploding (he plays games by googling the superhero names ) by shutting it down and sat back with his notebook to study. (he is in his UKG)
Got to make raagi dosai for my dear aathukkarar.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Cooking Mania!!
Of late, Iam more content being full time house-wife. From second week of August iam at home, not that i have bid adieu to my office, but due to unexpected holidays for my son and other commitments. Soon should work out my time to go to office. Its both advantage and dis-advantage having your own business which is predominantly taken care by dear aathukkarar. One of the main advantage is the attendance. Yippee.. Iam enjoying this phase especially.
Mornings from 6.00-9.30 - fast paced life as my kid usually refers to me as the "super-fast machine". After that the machine slows down. And picks up again at 2.30 P.m.
Meantime, iam browsing for the recipes and experimenting with them. Since my kid refuses to acknowledge any vegetable other than potato iam into research mode in finding new ways of adding the veggies to his diet. One thing i have found of late is that he likes kurma ( that too after having tasted it once in Ginger, pondicherry while on the trip) , so it has made my job easy.
So, i have started adding the veggies to it and another method is to make the soup which he would take in any form if it is garnished with bread.
My next headache is with the fruits, somehow i force him to have it in the milk shake format. But, he refuses to eat raw ones. The very sight of the fruits and the smell especially drives him 100m apart. Any one please suggest... I have tried begging, thrashings , forcing and even bribery, but nothing works....
Coming to my experimentation, today iam going to try a new recipe with soya chunks . Since, my aathukkarar is on strict diet ( pls dont say "wow" - this is his nth time) to reduce his cholesterol and BP, (he is jus 30) he is also trying out new diet regimes. One of the new discovery is BLUEBERRY . He got this idea from google search. The name always strikes chord with DORA for me - remember "Blueberry malai" .
Today my menu is mullangi sambar, thakkali rasam, kothavaranga paruppu usili, and new recipe involving soya.
Mornings from 6.00-9.30 - fast paced life as my kid usually refers to me as the "super-fast machine". After that the machine slows down. And picks up again at 2.30 P.m.
Meantime, iam browsing for the recipes and experimenting with them. Since my kid refuses to acknowledge any vegetable other than potato iam into research mode in finding new ways of adding the veggies to his diet. One thing i have found of late is that he likes kurma ( that too after having tasted it once in Ginger, pondicherry while on the trip) , so it has made my job easy.
So, i have started adding the veggies to it and another method is to make the soup which he would take in any form if it is garnished with bread.
My next headache is with the fruits, somehow i force him to have it in the milk shake format. But, he refuses to eat raw ones. The very sight of the fruits and the smell especially drives him 100m apart. Any one please suggest... I have tried begging, thrashings , forcing and even bribery, but nothing works....
Coming to my experimentation, today iam going to try a new recipe with soya chunks . Since, my aathukkarar is on strict diet ( pls dont say "wow" - this is his nth time) to reduce his cholesterol and BP, (he is jus 30) he is also trying out new diet regimes. One of the new discovery is BLUEBERRY . He got this idea from google search. The name always strikes chord with DORA for me - remember "Blueberry malai" .
Today my menu is mullangi sambar, thakkali rasam, kothavaranga paruppu usili, and new recipe involving soya.
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